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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


Presented  by 


3  oilnoi’i  Li^toitu  CovmniHec 


. .  rs  •3?  /  c 

Division...^... A... 

_  cno 

2, 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


r 


https://archive.org/details/bahaullahneweraOOessl 


BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


t 


BAHA’U’LLAH  AND 
THE  NEW  ERA 


BY 


J.  E.  %SSLEMONT,  M.B.,  Ch.B.,  F.B.E.A. 


t 


FOR  THE  BAHA’I  PUBLISHING  COMMITTEE 

NEW  YORK 

BRENTANO’S 

PUBLISHERS 


(All  rights  reserved) 


Printed  tn  England 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


In  December  1914,  through  a  conversation  with  friends  who  had 
met  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  and  the  loan  of  a  few  pamphlets,  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  the  Baha’i  teachings.  I  was  at  once  struck  by 
their  comprehensiveness,  power  and  beauty.  They  impressed 
me  as  meeting  the  great  needs  of  the  modern  world  more  fully 
and  satisfactorily  than  any  other  presentation  of  religion  which 
I  had  come  across — an  impression  which  subsequent  study  has 
only  served  to  deepen  and  confirm. 

In  seeking  for  fuller  knowledge  about  the  movement  I  found 
considerable  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  literature  I  wanted,  and 
soon  conceived  the  idea  of  putting  together  the  gist  of  what  I 
learned  in  the  form  of  a  book,  so  that  it  might  be  more  easily 
available  for  others.  When  communication  with  Palestine  was 
reopened  after  the  war,  I  wrote  to  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  and  enclosed  a 
copy  of  the  first  nine  chapters  of  the  book,  which  was  then  almost 
complete  in  rough  draft.  I  received  a  very  kind  and  encouraging 
reply,  and  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  him  in  Haifa  and  bring  the 
whole  of  my  manuscript  with  me.  The  invitation  was  gladly 
accepted,  and  I  had  the  great  privilege  of  spending  two  and  a  half 
months  as  the  guest  of  ‘ Abdu’l-Baha  during  the  winter  of  1 9 1 9-20. 
During  this  visit  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  discussed  the  book  with  me  on 
various  occasions.  He  gave  several  valuable  suggestions  for  its 
improvement  and  proposed  that,  when  I  had  revised  the  manuscript, 
he  would  have  the  whole  of  it  translated  into  Persian  so  that  he  could 
read  it  through  and  amend  or  correct  it  where  necessary.  The 
revisal  and  translation  were  carried  out  as  suggested,  and  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  found  time,  amid  his  busy  life,  to  correct  some  three  and 
a  half  chapters  (Chapters  I,  II,  V  and  part  of  III)  before  he  passed 
away.  It  is  a  matter  of  profound  regret  to  me  that  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
was  not  able  to  complete  the  correction  of  the  manuscript,  as 

7 


8 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


the  value  of  the  book  would  thereby  have  been  greatly  enhanced. 
The  whole  of  the  manuscript  has  been  carefully  revised,  however, 
by  a  committee  of  the  National  Baha’i  Assembly  of  England, 
and  its  publication  approved  by  that  Assembly. 

Shoghi  Effendi,  the  grandson  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  and  “  Guardian 
of  the  Cause,”  has  also  read  through  the  whole  of  the  manuscript 
(in  English)  and  given  it  his  cordial  approval.  Although  unable 
to  undertake  a  thorough  revision  of  all  the  translations,  with 
reference  to  the  original  sources,  he  suggested  in  many  instances 
improved  renderings  which  I  have  gladly  adopted. 

I  am  greatly  indebted  to  Miss  E.  J.  Rosenberg,  Mrs.  Claudia 
S.  Coles,  Jinab-i-Avarih  (the  learned  Persian  historian  of  the 
Baha’i  Movement),  Mirza  Lotfullah  S.  Hakim,  Messrs.  Roy 
Wilhelm  and  Mountford  Mills  and  many  other  kind  friends  for 
valuable  help  in  the  preparation  of  the  work. 

As  regards  the  transliteration  of  Arabic  and  Persian  names 
and  words  the  system  adopted  in  this  book  is  that  recently 
recommended  by  Shoghi  Effendi  for  use  throughout  the  Baha’i 
world.  In  order  to  economise  space  and  to  avoid  increasing  the 
cost  of  publication,  however,  a  horizontal  instead  of  a  vertical 
dash  has  been  used  over  the  long  vowels. 


Fairford,  Cults, 
By  Aberdeen. 


J.  E.  ESSLEMONT. 


CONTENTS 


PACK 

PREFATORY  NOTE . 7 

CHAPTER 

I.  THE  GLAD  TIDINGS . II 

II.  BAB  :  THE  FORERUNNER . 20 

iii.  baha’u’llah  :  the  glory  of  god . 31 

IV.  ‘aBDu’l-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  EAHA  .  .  .  .  53 

v.  what  is  a  baha’I  ? . 70 

VI.  PRAYER . 83 

VII.  HEALTH  AND  HEALING . 93 

VIII.  RELIGIOUS  UNITY . Io6 

IX.  TRUE  CIVILIZATION . 121 

X.  THE  WAY  TO  PEACE . 1 39 

XI.  VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS . I  53 

XII.  RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE . I70 

XIII.  PROPHECIES  FULFILLED  BY  THE  BAHA’i  MOVEMENT  .  .  1 83 

XIV.  PROPHECIES  OF  BAHa’u’lLAH  AND  ‘aBDu’l-BAHA  .  .  .  202 

XV.  RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT . 214 

BIBLIOGRAPHY . 227 

INDEX . 23I 


9 


BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  GLAD  TIDINGS 

**  The  Promised  One  of  all  the  peoples  of  the  world  hath  appeared.  All 
peoples  and  communities  have  been  expecting  a  Revelation,  and  He,  Baha’u’llah, 
is  the  foremost  teacher  and  educator  of  all  mankind.” — ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

The  Greatest  Event  in  History, 

#  If  we  study  the  story  of  the  “  ascent  of  man  ”  as  recorded  in 
the  pages  of  history,  it  becomes  evident  that  the  leading  factor  in 
human  progress  is  the  advent,  from  time  to  time,  of  men  who 
pass  beyond  the  accepted  ideas  of  their  day  and  become  the 
discoverers  and  revealers  of  truths  hitherto  unknown  among 
mankind.  The  inventor,  the  pioneer,  the  genius,  the  prophet — 
these  are  the  men  on  whom  the  transformation  of  the  world 
primarily  depends.  As  Carlyle  says  : — 

“  The  plain  truth,  very  plain,  we  think  is,  that.  .  .  .  One  man  that 
has  a  higher  Wisdom,  a  hitherto  unknown  spiritual  Truth  in  him,  is 
stronger,  not  than  ten  men  that  have  it  not,  nor  than  ten  thousand,  but 
than  all  men  that  have  it  not ;  and  stands  among  them  with  a  quite  ethereal, 
angelic  power,  as  if  with  a  sword  out  of  Heaven’s  own  armoury,  which 
no  buckler,  and  no  tower  of  brass  will  finally  withstand.” — Signs  of 
the  Times. 

In  the  history  of  science,  of  art,  of  music,  we  see  abundant 
illustrations  of  this  truth,  but  in  no  domain  is  the  supreme 
importance  of  the  great  man  and  his  message  more  clearly  evident 
than  in  that  of  religion.  All  down  the  ages,  whenever  the  spiritual 
life  of  men  has  become  degenerate  and  their  morals  corrupt, 


XI 


12 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


that  most  wonderful  and  mysterious  of  men,  the  prophet,  makes 
his  appearance.  Alone  against  the  world,  without  a  single  human 
being  capable  of  teaching,  of  guiding,  of  fully  understanding  him, 
or  of  sharing  his  responsibility,  he  arises,  like  a  seer  among  blind 
men,  to  proclaim  his  gospel  of  righteousness  and  truth. 

Amongst  the  prophets  some  stand  out  with  special  pre-eminence. 
Every  few  centuries  a  great  Divine  Revealer — a  Krishna,  a 
Zoroaster,  a  Moses,  a  Jesus,  a  Muhammad — appears  in  the  East, 
like  a  spiritual  Sun,  to  illumine  the  darkened  minds  of  men  and 
awaken  their  dormant  souls.  Whatever  our  views  as  to  the 
relative  greatness  of  these  religion-founders,  we  must  admit  that 
they  have  been  the  most  potent  factors  in  the  education  of  mankind. 
With  one  accord  these  prophets  declare  that  the  words  they  utter 
are  not  from  themselves,  but  are  a  Revelation  through  them, 
a  Divine  message  of  which  they  are  the  bearers.  Their  recorded 
utterances  abound,  too,  in  hints  and  promises  of  a  great  world- 
teacher  who  will  appear  “  in  the  fulness  of  time  ”  to  carry  on  their 
work  and  bring  it  to  fruition,  one  who  will  establish  a  reign  of 
peace  and  justice  upon  earth,  and  bring  into  one  family  all  races, 
religions,  nations  and  tribes,  “  that  there  may  be  one  fold  and 
One  Shepherd  ”  and  that  all  may  know  and  love  God  “  from 
the  least  even  unto  the  greatest.” 

Surely  the  advent  of  this  44  Educator  of  Mankind,”  in  the  latter 
days,  when  he  appears,  must  be  the  greatest  event  in  human 
history.  And  the  Bahai  Movement  is  proclaiming  to  the  world 
the  glad  tidings  that  this  Educator  has  in  fact  appeared ,  that  his 
Revelation  has  been  delivered  and  recorded  and  may  be  studied  by 
every  earnest  seeker ,  that  the  44  Day  of  the  Lord  ”  has  already 
dawned  and  the  44  Sun  of  Righteousness  ”  arisen .  As  yet  only  a 
few  on  the  mountain-tops  have  caught  sight  of  the  Glorious 
Orb,  but  already  its  rays  are  illumining  heaven  and  earth,  and  ere 
long  it  will  rise  above  the  mountains  and  shine  with  full  strength 
on  the  plains  and  valleys  too,  giving  life  and  guidance  to  all. 


The  Changing  World. 

That  the  world,  during  the  nineteenth  and  the  early  part  of 
the  twentieth  centuries,  has  been  passing  through  the  death 
pangs  of  an  old  era  and  the  birth  pangs  of  a  new,  is  evident  to 


THE  GLAD  TIDINGS 


13 

all.  The  old  principles  of  materialism  and  self-interest,  the  old 
sectarian  and  patriotic  prejudices  and  animosities,  are  perishing, 
discredited,  amidst  the  ruins  they  have  wrought,  and  in  all  lands 
we  see  signs  of  a  new  spirit  of  faith,  of  brotherhood,  of  inter¬ 
nationalism,  that  is  bursting  the  old  bonds  and  over-running  the 
old  boundaries.  Revolutionary  changes  of  unprecedented  magni¬ 
tude  have  been  occurring  in  every  department  of  human  life. 
The  old  era  is  not  yet  dead.  It  is  engaged  in  a  life  and  death 
struggle  with  the  new.  Evils  there  are  in  plenty,  gigantic  and 
formidable,  but  they  are  being  exposed,  investigated,  challenged 
and  attacked  with  new  vigour  and  hope.  Clouds  there  are  in 
plenty,  vast  and  threatening,  but  the  light  is  breaking  through, 
and  is  illumining  the  path  of  progress  and  revealing  the  obstacles 
and  pitfalls  that  obstruct  the  onward  way. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  different.  Then  the  spiritual 
and  moral  gloom  that  enshrouded  the  world  was  relieved  by  hardly 
a  ray  of  light.  It  was  like  the  darkest  hour  before  the  dawn, 
when  the  few  lamps  and  candles  that  remain  alight  do  little  more 
than  make  the  darkness  visible.  Carlyle  in  his  Frederick  the 
Great  writes  of  the  eighteenth  century  thus  : — 

“  A  century  which  has  no  history  and  can  have  little  or  none.  A 
century  so  opulent  in  accumulated  falsities  ...  as  never  century  before 
was  !  Which  had  no  longer  the  consciousness  of  being  false,  so  false 
had  it  grown  ;  and  was  so  steeped  in  falsity,  and  impregnated  with  it  to 
the  very  bone,  that — in  fact  the  measure  of  the  thing  was  full,  and  a 
French  Revolution  had  to  end  it.  ...  A  very  fit  termination,  as  I  thank¬ 
fully  feel,  for  such  a  century.  .  .  .  For  there  was  need  once  more  of  a 
Divine  Revelation  to  the  torpid,  frivolous  children  of  men,  if  they  were 
not  to  sink  altogether  into  the  ape  condition.” — Frederick  the  Great ,  Book  I, 
Chap.  1. 

Compared  with  the  eighteenth  century  the  present  time  is  as 
the  dawn  after  darkness,  or  as  the  spring  after  winter.  The 
world  is  stirring  with  new  life,  thrilling  with  new  ideals  and  hopes. 
Things  that  but  a  few  years  ago  seemed  impossible  dreams  are  now 
accomplished  facts.  Others  that  seemed  centuries  ahead  of  us 
have  already  become  matters  of  “  practical  politics.”  We  fly 
in  the  air  and  make  voyages  under  the  sea.  We  send  messages 
around  the  world  with  the  speed  of  lightning.  Within  a  few 
years  we  have  seen  the  downfall  of  the  great  military  autocracies, 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


14 

the  admission  of  women  to  all  kinds  of  professions  from  which 
they  were  formerly  barred,  the  population  of  a  vast  continent 
abandoning  the  use  of  alcohol  as  a  beverage,  the  birth  of  a  “  League 
of  Nations  ”  that  bids  fair  to  abolish  war,  and  other  miracles  too 
numerous  to  mention. 

The  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

What  is  the  cause  of  this  sudden  awakening  throughout  the 
world  ?  Baha’is  believe  that  it  is  due  to  a  great  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  prophet  Baha’u’llah,  who  was  born 
in  Persia  just  over  a  century  ago  and  passed  away  in  the  Holy 
Land  towards  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Baha’u’liah  taught  that  the  Prophet,  or  “  Manifestation  of 
God,”  is  the  Light-bringer  of  the  spiritual  world,  as  the  sun 
is  the  light-bringer  of  the  natural  world.  Just  as  the  material 
sun  shines  over  the  earth  and  causes  the  growth  and  development 
of  material  organisms,  so  also,  through  the  Divine  Manifestation, 
the  Sun  of  Truth  shines  upon  the  world  of  heart  and  soul,  and 
educates  the  thoughts,  morals  and  characters  of  men.  And  just 
as  the  rays  of  the  natural  sun  have  an  influence  which  penetrates 
into  the  darkest  and  shadiest  corners  of  the  world,  giving  warmth 
and  life  even  to  creatures  that  have  never  seen  the  sun  itself,  so 
also,  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  Manifestation 
of  God  influences  the  lives  of  all,  and  inspires  receptive  minds 
even  in  places  and  among  peoples  where  the  name  of  the  Prophet 
is  quite  unknown.  The  advent  of  the  Manifestation  is  like  the 
coming  of  the  Spring.  It  is  a  day  of  Resurrection  in  which  the 
spiritually  dead  are  raised  to  new  life,  in  which  the  Reality  of  the 
Divine  Religions  is  renewed  and  re-established,  in  which  appear 
“  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth.” 

But,  in  the  world  of  nature,  the  Spring  brings  about  not  only 
the  growth  and  awakening  of  new  life  but  also  the  destruction  and 
removal  of  the  old  and  effete  j  for  the  same  sun,  that  makes  the 
flowers  to  spring  and  the  trees  to  bud,  causes  also  the  decay  and 
disintegration  of  what  is  dead  and  useless  ;  it  loosens  the  ice  and 
melts  the  snow  of  winter,  and  sets  free  the  flood  and  the  storm  that 
cleanse  and  purify  the  earth.  So  is  it  also  in  the  spiritual  world. 
The  spiritual  sunshine  causes  similar  commotion  and  change. 


THE  GLAD  TIDINGS 


i5 


Thus  the  Day  of  Resurrection  is  also  the  Day  of  Judgment, 
in  which  corruptions  and  imitations  of  the  truth  and  outworn 
ideas  and  customs  are  discarded  and  destroyed,  in  which  the  ice 
and  snow  of  prejudice  and  superstition,  which  accumulated  during 
the  season  of  winter,  are  melted  and  transformed,  and  energies 
long  frozen  and  pent  up  are  released  to  flood  and  renovate  the 
world. 

The  Mission  of  Baha’u’llah. 

Baha’u’llah  declared,  plainly  and  repeatedly,  that  he  was  the 
long-expected  educator  and  teacher  of  all  peoples,  the  channel  of 
a  wondrous  Grace  that  would  transcend  all  previous  outpourings, 
in  which  all  previous  forms  of  religion  would  become  merged, 
as  rivers  merge  in  the  ocean.  He  laid  a  foundation  which  affords 
a  firm  basis  for  Unity  throughout  the  whole  world  and  the  in¬ 
auguration  of  that  glorious  age  of  peace  on  earth,  goodwill  among 
men,  of  which  prophets  have  told  and  poets  sung. 

Search  after  truth,  the  oneness  of  mankind,  unity  of  religions, 
of  races,  of  nations,  of  East  and  West,  the  reconciliation  of  religion 
and  science,  the  eradication  of  prejudices  and  superstitions,  the 
equality  of  men  and  women,  the  establishment  of  justice  and 
righteousness,  the  setting  up  of  a  supreme  international  tribunal, 
the  unification  of  languages,  the  compulsory  diffusion  of  know¬ 
ledge — these,  and  many  other  teachings  like  these,  were  revealed 
by  the  pen  of  Baha’u’llah  fifty  years  ago,  in  innumerable  books  and 
epistles  several  of  which  were  addressed  to  the  Kings  and  Rulers  of 
.the  world. 

His  message,  unique  in  its  comprehensiveness  and  scope,  is 
wonderfully  in  accord  with  the  signs  and  needs  of  the  times. 
Never  were  the  new  problems  confronting  men  so  gigantic  and 
complex  as  now.  Never  were  the  proposed  solutions  so  numerous 
and  conflicting.  Never  was  the  need  of  a  great  world  teacher  so 
urgent  or  so  widely  felt.  Never,  perhaps,  was  the  expectancy 
of  such  a  teacher  so  confident  or  so  general. 

Fulfilment  of  Prophecies. 

Abdu’l-Baha  writes  : — 

When  Christ  appeared,  twenty  centuries  ago,  although  the  Jews 


i6 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


were  eagerly  awaiting  His  Coming,  and  prayed  every  day,  with  tears, 
saying  :  ‘  O  God,  hasten  the  Revelation  of  the  Messiah,’  yet  when  the 
Sun  of  Truth  dawned,  they  denied  Him  and  rose  against  Him  with  the 
greatest  enmity,  and  eventually  crucified  that  divine  Spirit,  the  Word  of 
God,  and  named  Him  Beelzebub,  the  evil  one,  as  is  recorded  in  the 
Gospel.  The  reason  for  this  was  that  they  said  :  ‘  The  Revelation  of 
Christ,  according  to  the  clear  text  of  the  Torah,  will  be  attested  by  certain 
signs,  and  so  long  as  these  signs  have  not  appeared,  whoso  layeth  claim 
to  be  a  Messiah  is  an  impostor.  Among  these  signs  is  this,  that  the 
Messiah  should  come  from  an  unknown  place,  yet  we  all  know  this 
man’s  house  in  Nazareth,  and  can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? 
The  second  sign  is  that  He  shall  rule  with  a  rod  of  iron,  that  is,  he  must 
act  with  the  sword,  but  this  Messiah  has  not  even  a  wooden  staff.  Another 
of  the  conditions  and  signs  is  this  :  He  must  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David 
and  establish  David’s  sovereignty.  Now,  far  from  being  enthroned, 
this  man  has  not  even  a  mat  to  sit  on.  Another  of  the  conditions  is  this : 
the  promulgation  of  all  the  laws  of  the  Torah  ;  yet  this  man  has  abro¬ 
gated  these  laws,  and  has  even  broken  the  sabbath  day,  although  it  is 
the  clear  text  of  the  Torah  that  whosoever  layeth  claim  to  prophethood 
and  revealeth  miracles  and  breaketh  the  sabbath  day,  must  be  put  to 
death.  Another  of  the  signs  is  this,  that  in  His  reign  justice  will  be 
so  advanced  that  righteousness  and  well-doing  will  extend  from  the  human 
even  to  the  animal  world — the  snake  and  the  mouse  will  share  one  hole, 
and  the  eagle  and  the  partridge  one  nest,  the  lion  and  the  gazelle  shall 
dwell  in  one  pasture,  and  the  wolf  and  the  kid  shall  drink  from  one  foun¬ 
tain.  Yet  now,  injustice  and  tyranny  have  waxed  so  great  in  his  time 
that  they  have  crucified  him  !  Another  of  the  conditions  is  this,  that 
in  the  days  of  the  Messiah  the  Jews  will  prosper  and  triumph  over  all 
the  peoples  of  the  world,  but  now  they  are  living  in  the  utmost  abase¬ 
ment  and  servitude  in  the  Empire  of  the  Romans.  Then  how  can  this 
be  the  Messiah  promised  in  the  Torah  ?  ’ 

“  In  this  wise  did  they  object  to  that  Sun  of  Truth,  although  that 
Spirit  of  God  was  indeed  the  One  promised  in  the  Torah.  But  as  they 
did  not  understand  the  meaning  of  these  signs,  they  crucified  the  Word  of 
God.  Now  the  Baha’is  hold  that  the  recorded  signs  did  come  to 
pass  in  the  Manifestation  of  Christ,  although  not  in  the  sense  which  the 
Jews  understood,  the  description  in  the  Torah  being  allegorical.  For 
instance,  among  the  signs  is  that  of  sovereignty.  The  Baha’is  say  that 
the  sovereignty  of  Christ  was  a  heavenly,  divine,  everlasting  sovereignty, 
not  a  Napoleonic  sovereignty  that  vanisheth  in  a  short  time.  For  well- 
nigh  two  thousand  years  this  sovereignty  of  Christ  hath  been  established, 
and  until  now  it  endureth,  and  to  all  eternity  that  Holy  Being  will  be 
exalted  upon  an  everlasting  throne. 

“  In  like  manner  all  the  other  signs  have  been  made  manifest,  but 
the  Jews  did  not  understand.  Although  nearly  twenty  centuries  have 
elapsed  since  Christ  appeared  with  divine  splendour,  yet  the  Jews  are 


THE  GLAD  TIDINGS 


i7 

still  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  and  regard  themselves  as  true 
and  Christ  as  false.” — Written  by  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  for  this  chapter. 

Had  the  Jews  applied  to  Christ  he  would  have  explained  to 
them  the  true  meaning  of  the  prophecies  concerning  himself. 
Let  us  profit  by  their  example,  and  before  deciding  that  the 
prophecies  concerning  the  Manifestation  of  the  Latter-Day 
Teacher  have  not  been  fulfilled,  let  us  turn  to  what  Baha’u’llah 
himself  has  written  regarding  their  interpretation,  for  many  of 
the  prophecies  are  admittedly  “sealed”  sayings,  and  the  True 
Educator  himself  is  the  only  One  who  can  break  the  seals  and  shew 
the  real  meanings  contained  in  the  casket  of  words. 

Baha’u’llah  has  written  much  in  explanation  of  the  prophecies 
of  old,  but  it  is  not  on  these  that  he  depends  for  proof  of  his  prophet- 
hood.  The  sun  is  its  own  proof,  to  all  that  have  the  power  of 
perception.  When  it  rises  we  need  no  ancient  predictions  to  assure 
us  of  its  shining.  So  with  the  Manifestation  of  God  when  he 
appears.  Were  all  the  former  prophecies  swept  into  oblivion, 
he  would  still  be  his  own  abundant  and  sufficient  proof  to  all 
whose  spiritual  senses  are  open. 

Proofs  of  Prophethood. 

Baha’u’llah  asked  no  one  to  accept  his  statements  and  his 
tokens  blindly.  On  the  contrary,  he  put  in  the  very  forefront 
of  his  teachings  emphatic  warnings  against  blind  acceptance  of 
authority,  and  urged  all  to  open  their  eyes  and  ears,  and  use  their 
own  judgment,  independently  and  fearlessly,  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  truth.  He  enjoined  the  fullest  investigation  and  never 
concealed  himself,  offering,  as  the  supreme  proofs  of  his  prophet- 
hood,  his  words  and  works  and  their  effects  in  transforming  the 
lives  and  characters  of  men.  The  tests  he  proposed  are  the  same 
as  those  laid  down  by  his  great  predecessors.  Moses  said  : — 

“  When  a  prophet  speaketh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  if  the  thing  follow 
not,  nor  come  to  pass,  that  is  the  thing  which  the  Lord  hath  not  spoken, 
but  the  prophet  hath  spoken  it  presumptuously  :  thou  shalt  not  be  afraid 
of  him.” — Deut.  xviii.  22. 

Christ  put  his  test  just  as  plainly,  and  appealed  to  it  in  proof  of 
his  own  claim.  He  said  : — 


2 


1 8  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

“  Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in  sheep’s  clothing, 
but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves.  Ye  shall  know  them  by  their 
fruits.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns  or  figs  of  thistles  ?  Even  so 
every  good  tree  bringeth  forth  good  fruit ;  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth 
forth  evil  fruit.  .  .  .  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.” 
■ — Matt.  vii.  15-20. 

In  the  chapters  that  follow,  we  shall  endeavour  to  shew  whether 
Baha’u’llah’s  claim  to  prophethood  stands  or  falls  by  application 
of  these  tests  :  whether  the  things  that  he  has  spoken  have  followed 
and  come  to  pass,  and  whether  his  fruits  have  been  good  or  evil  ; 
in  other  words,  whether  his  prophecies  are  being  fulfilled  and  his 
ordinances  established,  and  whether  his  life-work  has  contributed 
to  the  education  and  upliftment  of  humanity  and  the  betterment 
of  morals,  or  the  contrary. 

Difficulties  of  Investigation. 

There  are,  of  course,  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  student 
who  seeks  to  get  at  the  truth  about  this  Cause.  Like  all  great 
moral  and  spiritual  reformations,  the  Baha’i  Movement  has  been 
grossly  misrepresented.  About  the  terrible  persecutions  and 
sufferings  of  Baha’u’llah  and  his  followers,  both  friends  and 
enemies  are  in  entire  agreement.  About  the  value  of  the  Move¬ 
ment,  however,  and  the  character  of  its  founders,  the  statements 
of  the  believers  and  the  accounts  of  the  deniers  are  utterly  at 
variance.  It  is  just  as  in  the  time  of  Christ.  Concerning  the 
crucifixion  of  Jesus  and  the  persecution  and  martyrdom  of  his 
followers  both  Christian  and  Jewish  historians  are  in  agreement, 
but  whereas  the  believers  say  that  Christ  fulfilled  and  developed 
the  teachings  of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  the  deniers  declare  that 
he  broke  the  laws  and  ordinances  and  was  worthy  of  death. 

In  religion,  as  in  science,  truth  reveals  her  mysteries  only  to 
the  humble  and  reverent  seeker,  who  is  ready  to  lay  aside  every 
prejudice  and  superstition — to  sell  all  that  he  has,  in  order  that 
he  may  buy  the  “  one  pearl  of  great  price.”  To  understand  the 
Baha’i  Movement  in  its  full  significance,  we  must  undertake  its 
study  in  the  spirit  of  sincere  and  selfless  devotion  to  truth,  per¬ 
severing  in  the  path  of  search  and  relying  on  divine  guidance. 
In  the  writings  of  its  founders  we  shall  find  the  master-key  to 


THE  GLAD  TIDINGS 


i9 


the  mysteries  of  this  great  spiritual  awakening,  and  the  ultimate 
criterion  of  its  value.  Unfortunately,  here  again  there  are 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  student  who  is  unacquainted  with 
the  Persian  and  Arabic  languages  in  which  the  teachings  are 
written.  Only  a  small  proportion  of  the  writings  has  been 
translated  into  English,  and  many  of  the  translations  which  have 
appeared  leave  much  to  be  desired,  both  in  accuracy  and  style. 
But  despite  the  imperfection  and  inadequacy  of  historical  narratives 
and  translations,  the  great  essential  truths  which  form  the  massive 
and  firm  foundations  of  this  Cause  stand  out  like  mountains  from 
the  mists  of  uncertainty. 

Aim  of  Book. 

The  endeavour  in  the  following  chapters  will  be  to  set  forth, 
as  far  as  possible,  fairly  and  without  prejudice,  the  salient  features 
of  the  history  and  more  especially  of  the  teachings  of  the  Baha’i 
Movement,  so  that  readers  may  be  enabled  to  form  an  intelligent 
judgment  as  to  their  importance,  and  perhaps  be  induced  to  search 
into  the  subject  more  deeply  for  themselves. 

Search  after  truth,  however,  important  though  it  be,  is  not  the 
whole  aim  and  end  of  life.  The  truth  is  no  dead  thing,  to  be 
placed  in  a  museum  when  found — to  be  labelled,  classified, 
catalogued,  exhibited  and  left  there,  dry  and  sterile.  It  is  some¬ 
thing  vital  which  must  take  root  in  men’s  hearts  and  bear  fruit 
in  their  lives  ere  they  reap  the  full  reward  of  their  search. 

The  real  object,  therefore,  in  spreading  the  knowledge  of  a 
prophetic  revelation  is  that  those  who  become  convinced  of  its 
truth  may  proceed  to  practise  its  principles,  to  “  lead  the  life  ” 
and  diffuse  the  glad  tidings,  thus  hastening  the  advent  of  that 
blessed  day  when  God’s  Will  shall  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
Heaven. 


CHAPTER  II 


BAB  1 :  THE  FORERUNNER 


'*  Verily  the  oppressor  hath  slain  the  Beloved  of  the  worlds  that  he  might 
thereby  quench  the  Light  of  God  amidst  His  creatures  and  withhold  mankind 
from  the  Stream  of  Celestial  Life  in  the  days  of  his  Lord,  the  Gracious,  the 
Bountiful.” — Baha’u’llah,  in  Tablet  to  Ra'ls. 


Birthplace  of  the  New  Revelation, 

Persia,  the  birthplace  of  the  Baha’i  Revelation,  has  occupied  a 
unique  place  in  the  history  of  the  world.  In  the  days  of  her  early 
greatness  she  was  a  veritable  queen  among  nations,  unrivalled  in 
civilization,  in  power  and  in  splendour.  She  gave  to  the  world 
great  kings  and  statesmen,  prophets  and  poets,  philosophers  and 
artists.  Zoroaster,  Cyrus  and  Darius,  Hafiz  and  FirdawsI, 
Sa‘dl  and  ‘Umar  KhayySm  are  but  a  few  of  her  many  famous 
sons.  Her  craftsmen  were  unsurpassed  in  skill  ;  her  carpets 
were  matchless,  her  steel  blades  unequalled,  her  pottery  world- 
famed.  In  all  parts  of  the  Near  and  Middle  East  she  has  left 
traces  of  her  former  greatness. 

Yet,  in  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries  she  had  sunk 
to  a  condition  of  deplorable  degradation.  Her  ancient  glory  seemed 
irretrievably  lost.  Her  government  was  corrupt  and  in  desperate 
financial  straits  ;  some  of  her  rulers  were  feeble,  and  others 
monsters  of  cruelty.  Her  priests  were  bigoted  and  intolerant, 
her  people  ignorant  and  superstitious.  Most  of  them  belonged 
to  the  ShPah  sect  2  of  Muhammadans,  but  there  were  also  consider- 

*  The  “  a  ”  pronounced  as  in  Shah. 

»  One  of  the  two  great  factions — Shl‘ah  and  Sunni — into  which  Islam  fell 
soon  after  the  death  of  Muhammad.  The  Shl'ahs  claim  that  ‘All,  the  son-in- 
law  of  Muhammad,  was  the  first  legitimate  successor  of  the  prophet,  and  that 
only  his  descendants  are  the  rightful  caliphs. 

20 


BAB:  THE  FORERUNNER 


21 


able  numbers  of  Zoroastrians,  Jews  and  Christians,  of  diverse 
and  antagonistic  sects.  All  professed  to  follow  sublime  teachers 
who  exhorted  them  to  worship  the  one  God  and  to  live  in  love 
and  unity,  yet  they  shunned,  detested  and  despised  each  other, 
each  sect  regarding  the  others  as  unclean,  as  dogs  or  heathens. 
Cursing  and  execration  were  indulged  in  to  a  fearful  extent. 
It  was  dangerous  for  a  Jew  or  a  Zoroastrian  to  walk  in  the  street 
on  a  rainy  day,  for  if  his  wet  garment  should  touch  a  Muhammadan, 
the  Muslim  was  defiled,  and  the  other  might  have  to  atone  for 
the  offence  with  his  life.  If  a  Muhammadan  took  money  from 
a  Jew,  Zoroastrian  or  Christian  he  had  to  wash  it  before  he  could 
put  it  in  his  pocket.  If  a  Jew  found  his  child  giving  a  glass  of 
water  to  a  poor  Muhammadan  beggar  he  would  dash  the  glass 
from  the  child’s  hand,  for  curses  rather  than  kindness  should  be 
the  portion  of  infidels  !  The  Muslims  themselves  were  divided 
into  numerous  sects,  among  whom  strife  was  often  bitter  and 
fierce.  The  Zoroastrians  did  not  join  much  in  these  mutual 
recriminations,  but  lived  in  communities  apart,  refusing  to  associate 
with  their  fellow-countrymen  of  other  faiths. 

Social  as  well  as  religious  affairs  were  in  a  state  of  hopeless 
decadence.  Education  was  neglected.  Western  science  and 
art  were  looked  upon  as  unclean  and  contrary  to  religion.  Justice 
was  travestied.  Pillage  and  robbery  were  of  common  occurrence. 
Roads  were  bad  and  unsafe  for  travel.  Sanitary  arrangements 
were  shockingly  defective. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  light  of  spiritual  life  was  not 
extinct  in  Persia.  Here  and  there,  amid  the  prevailing  worldliness 
and  superstition,  could  still  be  found  some  saintly  souls,  and  in 
many  a  heart  the  longing  for  God  was  cherished,  as  in  the  hearts 
of  Anna  and  Simeon  before  the  appearance  of  Jesus.  Many  were 
eagerly  awaiting  the  coming  of  a  promised  Messenger  of  God, 
and  confident  that  the  time  of  his  advent  was  at  hand.  Such  was 
the  state  of  affairs  in  Persia  when  the  Bab,  the  Herald  of  a  new 
era,  set  all  the  country  in  commotion  with  his  message. 

Early  Life. 

Mlrza  ‘All  Muhammad,  who  afterwards  assumed  the  title 

•  * 

of  Bab  (i.e.  Gate),  was  born  at  Shiraz,  in  the  south  of  Persia, 


22 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


on  the  20th  of  October,  1819  a.d.1 2  He  was  a  Sayyid,  that  is, 
a  descendant  of  the  prophet  Muhammad.  His  father,  a  well- 
known  merchant,  died  soon  after  his  birth,  and  he  was  then  placed 
under  the  care  of  a  maternal  uncle,  a  merchant  of  Shiraz,  who 
brought  him  up.  In  childhood  he  learned  to  read,  and  received 
the  elementary  education  customary  for  children.3  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  went  into  business,  at  first  with  his  guardian,  and 
afterwards  with  another  uncle  who  lived  at  Bushire,  on  the  shore 
of  the  Persian  Gulf. 

As  a  youth  he  was  noted  for  great  personal  beauty  and  charm 
of  manner,  and  also  for  exceptional  piety,  and  nobility  of  character. 
He  was  unfailing  in  his  observance  of  the  prayers,  fasts  and  other 
ordinances  of  the  Muhammadan  religion,  and  not  only  obeyed  the 
letter,  but  lived  in  the  spirit  of  the  prophet’s  teaching.  He 
married  when  about  twenty-two  years  of  age.  Of  this  marriage 
one  son  was  born,  who  died  while  still  an  infant,  in  the  first  year 
of  the  Bab’s  public  ministry. 

Declaration. 

On  reaching  his  twenty-fifth  year,  in  response  to  divine 
command,  he  declared  that  “  God  the  Exalted  had  elected  him  to 
the  station  of  Babhood.”  In  “  A  Traveller’s  Narrative  ”  we 
read  that  : — 

1  First  day  of  Muharram,  1235  A.H. 

2  On  this  point  Jinab-i-Avarih  remarks  :  '*  The  belief  of  many  people  in 
the  East,  especially  the  believers  in  the  Bab  (now  Baha’is)  was  this  :  that  the 
Bab  received  no  education,  but  that  the  Mullas,  in  order  to  lower  him  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people,  declared  that  such  knowledge  and  wisdom  as  he  possessed 
were  accounted  for  by  the  education  he  had  received.  After  deep  search  into 
the  truth  of  this  matter  we  have  found  evidence  to  shew  that  in  childhood  for 
a  short  time  he  used  to  go  to  the  house  of  Shaykh  Muhammad  (also  known  as 
Abid)  where  he  was  taught  to  read  and  write  in  Persian.  It  was  this  to  which 
the  Bab  referred  when  he  wrote  in  the  book  of  BaySn  :  *  O  Muhammad, 
O  my  teacher  !  .  .  .* 

“  The  remarkable  thing  is  this,  however,  that  this  Shaykh,  who  was  his  teacher, 
became  a  devoted  disciple  of  his  own  pupil,  and  the  uncle  of  the  Bab  who  was 
like  a  father  to  him,  whose  name  was  HajI  Sayyid  ‘All,  also  became  a  devout 
believer  and  was  martyred  as  a  Bab!. 

“  The  understanding  of  these  mysteries  is  given  to  seekers  after  truth,  but  we 
know  this,  that  such  education  as  the  Bab  received  was  but  elementary,  and  that 
whatever  signs  of  unusual  greatness  and  knowledge  appeared  in  him  were 
innate  and  from  God.” 


BAB  :  THE  FORERUNNER 


23 

“  What  he  intended  by  the  term  4  Bab  ’  was  this :  that  he  was  the  channel 
of  grace  from  some  great  Person  still  behind  the  veil  of  glory,  who  was 
the  possessor  of  countless  and  boundless  perfections,  by  whose  will  he 
moved  and  to  the  bond  of  whose  love  he  clung.” — Episode  of  the  Bab,  p.  3. 

In  those  days  belief  in  the  imminent  appearance  of  a  Divine 
Messenger  was  especially  prevalent  among  a  sect  known  as 
Shaykhls,  and  it  was  to  a  distinguished  divine  belonging  to  this 
sect,  called  Mulla  Husayn  Bushru’l,  that  the  Bab  first  announced 
his  mission.  The  exact  date  of  this  announcement  is  given  in 
the  Bayany  one  of  the  Bab’s  writings,  as  two  hours  and  fifteen 
minutes  after  sunset  on  the  5th  day  of  the  month  of  Jamadlyu’ 
1-Avval,  1260  a.h.1  (i.e.  23rd  May,  1844  a.d.).  After  some  days 
of  anxious  investigation  and  study,  Mulla  Husayn  became  firmly 
convinced  that  the  Messenger  long  expected  by  the  Shl‘ahs  had 
indeed  appeared.  His  eager  enthusiasm  over  this  discovery  was 
soon  shared  by  several  of  his  friends.  Before  long  the  majority 
of  the  Shaykhls  accepted  the  Bab,  becoming  known  as  Babls  ; 
and  soon  the  fame  of  the  young  prophet  began  to  spread  like  wild¬ 
fire  throughout  the  land. 

Spread  of  the  Babi  Movement. 

The  first  eighteen  disciples  of  the  Bab  (with  himself  as  nine¬ 
teenth)  became  known  as  “  Letters  of  the  Living.”  These  disciples 
he  sent  to  different  parts  of  Persia  and  Turkestan  to  spread  the  news 
of  his  advent.  Meantime  he  himself  set  out  on  a  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca,  where  he  arrived  in  December  1844,  and  there,  before  a 
large  number  of  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the  Muhammadan 
world,  he  openly  declared  his  mission.  On  his  return  to  Bushire 
great  excitement  was  caused  by  the  announcement  of  his  Babhood. 
The  fire  of  his  eloquence,  the  wonder  of  his  rapid  and  inspired 
writings,  his  extraordinary  wisdom  and  knowledge,  his  courage 
and  zeal  as  a  reformer,  aroused  the  greatest  enthusiasm  among  his 
followers,  but  excited  a  corresponding  degree  of  alarm  and  enmity 
among  the  orthodox  Muslims.  The  Shl‘ah  doctors  vehemently 
denounced  him,  and  persuaded  the  Governor  of  Fars,  named 
Husayn  Khan,  a  fanatical  and  tyrannical  ruler,  to  undertake  the 

1  A.H. — Anno  Hejirae — in  the  year  of  Hijrat  (i.e.  the  flight  of  Muhammad 
from  Madinah  to  Mecca  in  622  A.D.). 


24 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


suppression  of  the  new  heresy.  Then  commenced  for  the  Bab 
a  long  series  of  imprisonments,  deportations,  examinations  before 
tribunals,  scourgings  and  indignities,  which  ended  only  with  his 
martyrdom  in  1850. 

Claims  of  Bab. 

The  hostility  aroused  by  the  claim  of  Babhood  was  redoubled 
when  the  young  reformer  proceeded  to  declare  that  he  was  himself 
the  Mihdl  (Mahdi)  whose  coming  Muhammad  had  foretold. 
The  ShPahs  identified  this  Mihdl  with  the  12th  Imam1  who 
had  mysteriously  disappeared  from  the  sight  of  men  about  a  thousand 
years  previously.  They  believed  that  he  was  still  alive  and  would 
reappear  in  the  same  body  as  before,  and  they  interpreted  in  a 
material  sense  the  prophecies  regarding  his  dominion,  his  glory, 
his  conquests  and  the  “  signs  ”  of  his  advent,  just  as  the  Jews  in 
the  time  of  Christ  interpreted  similar  prophecies  regarding  the 
Messiah.  They  expected  that  he  would  appear  with  earthly 
sovereignty  and  an  innumerable  army  and  declare  his  revelation, 
that  he  would  raise  dead  bodies  and  restore  them  to  life,  and  so  on. 
As  these  signs  did  not  appear,  the  Shi‘ahs  rejected  the  Bab  with  the 
same  fierce  scorn  which  the  Jews  displayed  towards  Jesus.  The 
Babls,  on  the  other  hand,  interpreted  many  of  the  prophecies 
figuratively.  They  regarded  the  sovereignty  of  the  Promised 
One,  like  that  of  the  Galilean  “  Man  of  Sorrows,”  as  a  mystical 
sovereignty  ;  his  glory  as  spiritual,  not  earthly  glory  ;  his  conquests 
as  conquests  over  the  cities  of  men’s  hearts  ;  and  they  found 
abundant  proof  of  the  Bab’s  claim  in  his  wonderful  life  and  teachings, 
his  unshakable  faith,  his  invincible  steadfastness,  and  his  power 
of  raising  to  newness  of  spiritual  life,  those  who  were  in  the  graves 
of  error  and  ignorance. 

But  the  Bab  did  not  stop  even  with  the  claim  of  Mihdlhood 
He  adopted  the  sacred  title  of  “  Nuqtiyi-ula  ”  or  “  Primal  Point.” 

1  The  Imam  of  the  Shl'ahs  is  the  divinely  ordained  successor  of  the  Prophet 
whom  all  the  faithful  must  obey.  Twelve  persons  successively  held  the  office 
of  Imam,  the  first  being  ‘All  the  cousin  and  son-in-law  of  the  Prophet.  The 
twelfth  was  called  by  the  Shl'ahs  Imam  Mihdl.  They  hold  that  he  did  not 
die,  but  disappeared  in  an  underground  passage,  A.H.  329,  and  that  in  the  fulness 
of  time  he  will  come  forth,  overthrow  the  infidels  and  inaugurate  an  era  of 
blessedness. 


BAB  :  THE  FORERUNNER 


25 


This  was  a  title  applied  to  Muhammad  himself  by  his  followers. 
Even  the  Imams  were  secondary  in  importance  to  the  “  Point,” 
from  whom  they  derived  their  inspiration  and  authority.  In 
assuming  this  title,  the  Bab  claimed  to  rank,  like  Muhammad, 
in  the  series  of  great  Founders  of  Religion,  and  for  this  reason,  in 
the  eyes  of  the  ShPahs,  he  was  regarded  as  an  impostor,  just  as 
Moses  and  Jesus  before  him  had  been  regarded  as  impostors. 
He  even  inaugurated  a  new  Calendar,  restoring  the  Solar  year, 
and  dating  the  commencement  of  the  New  Era  from  the  year 
of  his  own  declaration. 

Persecution  Increases. 

In  consequence  of  these  declarations  of  the  Bab  and  the  alarming 
rapidity  with  which  people  of  all  classes,  rich  and  poor,  learned 
and  ignorant,  were  eagerly  responding  to  his  teaching,  attempts 
at  suppression  became  more  and  more  ruthless  and  determined. 
Houses  were  pillaged  and  destroyed.  Women  were  seized  and 
carried  off.  In  'J'ihran,  Fars,  Mazandaran,  and  other  places 
great  numbers  of  the  believers  were  put  to  death.  Many  were 
beheaded,  hanged,  blown  from  the  mouths  of  cannon,  burnt  or 
chopped  to  pieces.  Despite  all  attempts  at  repression,  however, 
the  movement  progressed.  Nay,  through  this  very  oppression 
the  assurance  of  the  believers  increased,  for  thereby  many  of  the 
prophecies  concerning  the  coming  of  the  Mihdl  were  literally 
fulfilled.  Thus  in  a  tradition  recorded  by  Jabir,  which  the 
ShPahs  regard  as  authentic,  we  read  : — 

“  In  him  shall  be  the  perfection  of  Moses,  the  preciousness  of  Jesus, 
and  the  patience  of  Job  ;  his  saints  shall  be  abased  in  his  time,  and  their 
heads  shall  be  exchanged  as  presents,  even  as  the  heads  of  the  Turk  and 
the  Deylamite  are  exchanged  as  presents ;  they  shall  be  slain  and  burned, 
and  shall  be  afraid,  fearful  and  dismayed  ;  the  earth  shall  be  dyed  with 
their  blood,  and  lamentation  shall  prevail  amongst  their  women  ;  these 
are  my  saints  indeed.” — New  History  of  the  Bab ,  translated  by  Prof.  E.  G. 
Browne,  p.  132. 

Martyrdom  of  the  Bab. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1850,1  the  Bab  himself,  who  was  then  in 
his  thirty-first  year,  fell  a  victim  to  the  fanatical  fury  of  his 

*  Friday,  a8th  Sha'ban,  1266  A.H. 


26 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


persecutors.  With  a  devoted  young  follower  named  AqS 
Muhammad  ‘All,  who  had  passionately  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
share  his  martyrdom,  he  was  led  to  the  scaffold  in  the  old  barrack 
square  of  Tabriz.  About  two  hours  before  noon  the  two  were 
suspended  by  ropes  under  their  armpits  in  such  a  way  that  the  head 
of  Muhammad  ‘All  rested  against  the  breast  of  his  beloved  Master. 
A  regiment  of  Armenian  soldiers  was  drawn  up  and  received  the 
order  to  fire.  Promptly  the  volleys  rang  out,  but  when  the  smoke 
cleared,  it  was  found  that  the  Bab  and  his  companion  were  still 
alive.  The  bullets  had  but  severed  the  ropes  by  which  they  were 
suspended,  so  that  they  dropped  to  the  ground  unhurt.  They 
proceeded  to  a  room  near  by,  where  they  were  found  talking  to 
one  of  their  friends.  About  noon  they  were  again  suspended. 
The  Armenians,  who  considered  the  result  of  their  volleys  a  miracle, 
were  unwilling  to  fire  again,  so  another  regiment  of  soldiers  had 
been  brought  on  the  scene,  who  fired  when  ordered.  This  time 
the  volleys  took  effect.  The  bodies  of  both  victims  were  riddled 
by  bullets  and  horribly  mutilated,  although  their  faces  were  almost 
untouched. 

By  this  foul  deed  the  Barrack  Square  of  Tabriz  became  a  second 
Calvary.  The  enemies  of  the  Bab  enjoyed  a  guilty  thrill  of 
triumph,  thinking  that  this  hated  tree  of  the  Babl  faith  was  now 
severed  at  the  root,  and  its  complete  eradication  would  be  easy  ! 
But  their  triumph  was  short-lived  !  They  did  not  realize  that 
the  Tree  of  Truth  cannot  be  felled  by  any  material  axe.  Had 
they  but  known,  this  very  crime  of  theirs  was  the  means  of  giving 
greater  vigour  to  the  Cause.  The  martyrdom  of  the  Bab  fulfilled 
his  own  cherished  wish  and  inspired  his  followers  with  increased 
zeal.  Such  was  the  fire  of  their  spiritual  enthusiasm  that  the 
bitter  winds  of  persecution  but  fanned  it  to  a  fiercer  blaze.  The 
greater  the  efforts  at  extinction,  the  higher  mounted  the  flames. 

Tomb  on  Mount  Carmel. 

After  the  Bab’s  martyrdom,  his  remains,  with  those  of  his 
devoted  companion,  were  thrown  on  the  edge  of  the  moat  outside 
the  city  wall.  On  the  second  night  they  were  rescued  at  mid¬ 
night  by  some  of  the  Babis,  and  after  being  concealed  for  years 
in  secret  depositories  in  Persia,  were  ultimately  brought,  with 


BAB  :  THE  FORERUNNER 


*7 


great  danger  and  difficulty,  to  the  Holy  Land.  There  they  are 
now  interred  in  a  tomb  beautifully  situated  on  the  slope  of  Mount 
Carmel,  not  far  from  the  Cave  of  Elijah,  and  only  a  few  miles 
from  the  spot  where  Baha’u’llah  spent  his  last  years  and  where 
his  remains  now  lie.  Among  the  thousands  of  pilgrims  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  who  come  to  pay  homage  at  the  Holy  Tomb 
of  Baha’u’llah,  none  omit  to  offer  prayer  also  at  the  shrine  of  his 
devoted  lover  and  forerunner,  the  Bab.1 

Writings  of  Bab. 

The  writings  of  the  Bab  were  voluminous,  and  the  rapidity 
with  which,  without  study  or  premeditation,  he  composed 
elaborate  commentaries,  profound  expositions  or  eloquent  prayers, 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  proofs  of  his  divine  inspiration. 

The  purport  of  his  various  writings  has  been  summarized  as 
follows  : — 

“  Some  of  these  (the  Bab’s  writings)  were  commentaries  on,  and  inter¬ 
pretations  of,  the  verses  of  the  Koran  ;  some  were  prayers,  homilies, 
and  hints  of  (the  true  significance  of  certain)  passages ;  others  were 
exhortations,  admonitions,  dissertations  on  the  different  branches  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Divine  Unity  .  .  .  encouragements  to  amendment  of 
character,  severance  from  worldly  states,  and  dependence  on  the  inspira¬ 
tions  of  God.  But  the  essence  and  purport  of  his  compositions  were 
the  praises  and  descriptions  of  that  Reality  soon  to  appear  which  was  his 
only  object  and  aim,  his  darling  and  his  desire.  For  he  regarded 
his  own  appearance  as  that  of  a  harbinger  of  good  tidings,  and  considered 
his  own  real  nature  merely  as  a  means  for  the  manifestation  of  the  greater 
perfections  of  that  One.  And  indeed  he  ceased  not  from  celebrating 
Him  by  night  or  day  for  a  single  instant,  but  used  to  signify  to  all  his 
followers  that  they  should  expect  His  arising,  in  such  wise  that  he  declares 
in  his  writings  :  ‘  I  am  a  letter  out  of  that  most  mighty  book  and  a  dew- 
drop  from  that  limitless  ocean,  and  when  He  shall  appear,  my  true  nature, 
my  mysteries,  riddles  and  intimations  will  become  evident,  and  the  embryo 
of  this  religion  shall  develop  through  the  grades  of  its  being  and  ascent, 
attain  to  the  station  of  “  the  most  comely  of  forms  ”  and  become  adorned 
with  the  robe  of  “  Blessed  be  God  the  Best  of  Creators  !  ”  ’  .  .  .  and 
so  inflamed  was  he  with  His  flame  that  commemoration  of  Him  was 
the  bright  candle  of  his  dark  nights  in  the  fortress  of  Maku,  and  remem¬ 
brance  of  Him  was  the  best  of  companions  in  the  straits  of  the  prison 
of  Chihriq.  Thereby  he  obtained  spiritual  enlargements ;  with  His 

1  The  tomb  of  the  Bab  has  now  been  further  honoured  by  being  made  the 
resting-place  of  the  body  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (see  Chapter  IV,  p.  66). 


28  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

wine  was  he  inebriated  ;  and  at  remembrance  of  Him  did  he  rejoice.” 
— Episode  of  the  Bab ,  p.  54. 

He  Whom  God  shall  Make  Manifest. 

Like  John  the  Baptist,  the  Bab  always  insisted  that  he  was  but 
a  forerunner  sent  to  prepare  the  way  for  One  greater  than  himself 
who  was  to  come  after  him.  He  heralded  the  advent  of  a  great 
Manifestation  of  the  Sun  of  Truth  which,  in  a  human  frame, 
would  shortly  be  revealed  to  men  with  majesty  and  glory.  With 
touching  humility  and  reverence  he  declared  that,  in  the  day  of 
“  Him  whom  God  shall  make  manifest  ”  : — 

“  If  one  should  hear  a  single  verse  from  Him  and  recite  it,  it  is  better 
than  that  he  should  recite  the  Bayan  (i.e.  the  revelation  of  the  Bab)  a 
thousand  times.” — Episode  of  the  Bab ,  p.  349. 

He  counted  himself  happy  in  enduring  any  affliction,  if  by  so 
doing  he  could  smooth  the  path,  by  ever  so  little,  for  “  Him 
whom  God  shall  make  manifest,”  who  was,  he  declared,  the  sole 
source  of  his  inspiration  as  well  as  the  sole  object  of  his  love. 

Resurrection,  Paradise  and  Hell. 

An  important  part  of  the  Bab’s  teaching  is  his  explanation  of 
the  terms  Resurrection,  Day  of  Judgment,  Paradise  and  Hell. 
By  the  Resurrection  is  meant,  he  said,  the  appearance  of  a  new 
Manifestation  of  the  Sun  of  Truth.  The  raising  of  the  dead 
means  the  spiritual  awakening  of  those  who  are  asleep  in  the 
graves  of  ignorance,  heedlessness  and  lust.  The  Day  of  Judgment 
is  the  Day  of  the  new  Manifestation,  by  acceptance  or  rejection 
of  whose  Revelation  the  sheep  are  separated  from  the  goats,  for  the 
sheep  know  the  voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd  and  follow  Him. 
Paradise  is  the  joy  of  knowing  and  loving  God,  as  revealed  through 
His  Manifestation,  thereby  attaining  to  the  utmost  perfection  of 
which  one  is  capable,  and,  after  death,  obtaining  entrance  to  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  the  life  everlasting.  Hell  is  simply  depriva¬ 
tion  of  that  knowledge  of  God  with  consequent  failure  to  attain 
divine  perfection,  and  loss  of  the  Eternal  Favour.  He  definitely 
declared  that  these  terms  have  no  real  meaning  apart  from  this  ; 
and  that  the  prevalent  ideas  regarding  the  resurrection  of  the 
material  body,  a  material  heaven  and  hell,  and  the  like,  are  mere 


BAB  :  THE  FORERUNNER 


29 


figments  of  the  imagination.  He  taught  that  man  has  a  life  after 
death,  and  that  in  the  after-life,  progress  towards  perfection  is 
limitless. 

Social  and  Ethical  Teachings. 

In  his  writings  the  Bab  tells  his  followers  that  they  must  be 
distinguished  by  brotherly  love  and  courtesy.  Useful  arts  and 
crafts  must  be  cultivated.  Elementary  education  should  be 
general.  In  the  new  and  wondrous  Dispensation  now 
commencing,  women  are  to  have  fuller  freedom.  The  poor 
are  to  be  provided  for  out  of  the  common  treasury,  but  begging 
is  strictly  forbidden,  as  is  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  for  beverage 
purposes. 

The  guiding  motive  of  the  true  Bab!  must  be  pure  love,  with¬ 
out  hope  of  reward  or  fear  of  punishment.  Thus  he  says  in  the 
Bayan  : — 

“  So  worship  God  that  if  the  recompense  of  thy  worship  were  to  be  the 
Fire,  no  alteration  of  thy  worship  of  Him  would  be  produced.  If  you 
worship  God  from  fear,  that  is  unworthy  of  the  threshold  of  the  holiness 
of  God.  ...  So  also,  if  your  gaze  is  on  Paradise,  and  if  you  worship 
in  hope  of  that ;  for  then  you  have  made  God’s  creation  a  partner  with 
Him.” — Babls  of  Persia ,  II,  by  Prof.  E.  G.  Browne,  J.R.A.S., 
vol.  xxi.  p.  931. 

Passion  and  Triumph. 

This  last  quotation  reveals  the  spirit  which  animated  the  Bab’s 
whole  life.  To  know  and  love  God,  to  mirror  forth  His  attributes 
and  to  prepare  the  way  for  His  coming  Manifestation — these 
were  the  sole  aim  and  object  of  his  being.  For  him  life  had  no 
terrors  and  death  no  sting,  for  love  had  cast  out  fear,  and  martyrdom 
itself  was  but  the  rapture  of  casting  his  all  at  the  feet  of  his  Beloved. 

Strange  !  that  this  pure  and  beautiful  soul,  this  inspired  teacher 
of  Divine  Truth,  this  devoted  lover  of  God  and  of  his  fellow-men 
should  be  so  hated,  and  done  to  death  by  the  professedly  religious 
of  his  day  !  Surely  nothing  but  unthinking  or  wilful  prejudice 
could  blind  men  to  the  fact  that  here  was  indeed  a  prophet,  a 
Holy  Messenger  of  God.  Worldly  greatness  and  glory  he  had 
none,  but  how  can  spiritual  Power  and  Dominion  be  proved 


3° 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


except  by  the  ability  to  dispense  with  all  earthly  assistance,  and  to 
triumph  over  all  earthly  opposition,  even  the  most  potent  and 
virulent  ?  How  can  Divine  Love  be  demonstrated  to  an 
unbelieving  world  save  by  its  capacity  to  endure  to  the  uttermost 
the  blows  of  calamity  and  the  darts  of  affliction,  the  hatred  of  enemies 
and  the  treachery  of  seeming  friends,  to  rise  serene  above  all  these 
and,  undismayed  and  unembittered,  still  to  forgive  and  bless  ? 

The  Bab  has  endured  and  the  Bab  has  triumphed.  Thousands 
have  testified  to  the  sincerity  of  their  love  for  him  by  sacrificing 
their  lives  and  their  all  in  his  service.  Kings  might  well  envy 
his  power  over  men’s  hearts  and  lives.  Moreover,  “  He  whom 
the  Lord  shall  make  manifest  ”  has  appeared,  has  confirmed  the 
claims  and  accepted  the  generous  devotion  of  his  forerunner, 
and  made  him  partaker  of  his  Glory. 


CHAPTER  III 


BAHA’U’LLAH  i  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD 

“  O  thou  who  art  waiting,  tarry  no  longer,  for  He  is  come.  Behold  His 
Tabernacle  and  His  Glory  dwelling  therein.  It  is  the  Ancient  Glory,  with  a 
new  Manifestation.” — Baha’u’llah. 


Birth  and  Early  Life. 

Mlrza  ^usayn  ‘All,  who  afterwards  assumed  the  title  or 
Baha’u’llah  (i.e.  Glory  of  God),  was  the  eldest  son  of  Mlrza 
‘Abbas  of  Nur,  a  Vazlr  or  Minister  of  State.  His  family  was 
wealthy  and  distinguished,  many  of  its  members  having  occupied 
important  positions  in  the  Government  and  in  the  Civil  and 
Military  Services  of  Persia.  He  was  born  in  Tihran  (Teheran), 
the  capital  city  of  Persia,  between  dawn  and  sunrise  on  the  1 2th 
of  November,  1817. 3  He  never  attended  school  or  college,  and 
what  little  teaching  he  received  was  given  at  home.  Nevertheless, 
even  as  a  child  he  showed  wonderful  wisdom  and  knowledge. 
While  he  was  still  a  youth  his  father  died,  leaving  him  responsible 
for  the  care  of  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  and  for  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  the  extensive  family  estates. 

On  one  occasion  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  the  eldest  son  of  Baha’u’llah, 
related  to  the  writer  the  following  particulars  about  his  father’s 
early  days  : — 

“  From  childhood  he  was  exceedingly  kind  and  generous.  He  was 
a  great  lover  of  outdoor  life,  most  of  his  time  being  spent  in  the  garden 
or  the  fields.  He  had  an  extraordinary  power  of  attraction,  which  was 
felt  by  all.  People  always  crowded  around  him.  Ministers  and  people 

*  Pronounced  with  the  accent  on  the  second  and  fourth  syllables,  the  first 
syllable  being  almost  mute  and  both  l’s  distinctly  sounded. 

3  2nd  of  Muharram,  1233  A.H. 


31 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


32 

of  the  Court  would  surround  him,  and  the  children  also  were  devoted 
to  him.  When  he  was  only  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old  he  became 
renowned  for  his  learning.  He  would  converse  on  any  subject  and  solve 
any  problem  presented  to  him.  In  large  gatherings  he  would  discuss 
matters  with  the  ‘Ulama  (leading  mullas)  and  would  explain  intricate 
religious  questions.  All  of  them  used  to  listen  to  him  with  the  greatest 
interest. 

“  When  Baha’u’llah  was  twenty-two  years  old,  his  father  died,  and  the 
Government  wished  him  to  succeed  to  his  father’s  position  in  the  Ministry, 
as  was  customary  in  Persia,  but  Baha’u’llah  did  not  accept  the  offer. 
Then  the  Prime  Minister  said  :  ‘  Leave  him  to  himself.  Such  a  position 
is  unworthy  of  him.  He  has  some  higher  aim  in  view.  I  cannot  under¬ 
stand  him,  but  I  am  convinced  that  he  is  destined  for  some  lofty  career. 
His  thoughts  are  not  like  ours.  Let  him  alone.’  ” 

Imprisoned  as  Babi. 

When  the  Bab  declared  his  mission  in  1844,  Baha’u’llah, 
who  was  then  in  his  twenty-seventh  year,  boldly  espoused  the  Cause 
of  the  new  Faith,  of  which  he  soon  became  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  powerful  and  fearless  exponents. 

He  had  already  twice  suffered  imprisonment  for  the  Cause, 
and  on  one  occasion  had  undergone  the  torture  of  the  bastinado, 
when  in  August  1852,  an  event  occurred  fraught  with  terrible 
consequences  for  the  Babls.  One  of  the  Bab’s  followers,  a  youth 
named  Sadiq,  had  been  so  affected  by  the  martyrdom  of  his  beloved 
Master,  of  which  he  was  an  eye-witness,  that  his  mind  became 
deranged,  and,  in  revenge,  he  waylaid  the  Shah  and  fired  a  pistol 
at  him.1  Instead  of  using  a  bullet,  however,  he  charged  his  weapon 
with  small  shot,  and  although  a  few  pellets  struck  the  Shah,  no 
serious  harm  was  done.  The  youth  dragged  the  Shah  from  his 
horse,  but  was  promptly  seized  by  the  attendants  of  his  Majesty 
and  put  to  death  on  the  spot.  The  whole  body  of  Babls  was 
unjustly  held  responsible  for  the  deed,  and  frightful  massacres 
ensued.  Eighty  of  them  were  forthwith  put  to  death  in  Tihran 
with  the  most  revolting  tortures.  Many  others  were  seized  and 
put  into  prisons,  among  them  being  Baha’u’llah.  He  afterwards 
wrote  : — 

“We  had  nothing  to  do  with  this  odious  deed,  and  our  innocence 

1  This  incident  occurred  about  two  hours  after  sunrise  on  the  a8th  of 
Shawwal,  1268  a.h.,  i.e.  16th  of  August,  1852  a.d.  (Avarih). 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  33 

was  indisputably  proved  before  the  tribunals.  Nevertheless,  they 
arrested  us  and  brought  us  to  the  prison  in  Tihran,  from  Niyavaran, 
which  was  then  the  seat  of  the  Royal  Residence  ;  on  foot,  in  chains, 
and  with  bare  head  and  feet,  for  a  brutal  fellow  who  was  accompanying 
us  on  horseback  snatched  the  hat  from  my  head,  and  many  executioners 
and  farrashes  (guards)  hurried  us  along  with  great  speed  and  put  us  for 
four  months  in  a  place  the  like  of  which  has  not  been  seen.  In  reality 
a  dark  and  narrow  cell  were  far  better  than  the  place  where  this  wronged 
one  and  his  companions  were  confined. 

“  When  we  entered  the  prison,  on  arrival,  they  conducted  us  along  a 
dismal  corridor,  and  thence  we  descended  three  steep  stairs  to  the  dungeon 
appointed  for  us.  The  place  was  pitch  dark,  and  its  inmates  numbered 
nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty — thieves,  assassins  and  highway  robbers. 
Holding  such  a  crowd  as  this,  it  yet  had  no  outlet  but  the  passage  through 
which  we  entered.  The  pen  fails  to  describe  this  place  and  its  putrid 
stench.  Most  of  the  company  had  neither  clothes  to  wear  nor  mat  to 
lie  on.  God  knows  what  we  endured  in  that  gloomy  and  loathsome 
place  ! 

“  By  day  and  by  night  in  this  prison  we  reflected  on  the  condition  of 
the  Babis  and  their  doings  and  affairs,  wondering  how,  notwithstanding 
their  greatness  of  soul,  nobility  and  intelligence,  they  could  be  capable  of 
such  a  deed  as  this  audacious  attempt  on  the  life  of  the  sovereign.  Then 
did  this  wronged  one  determine  that,  on  leaving  this  prison,  he  would 
arise  with  the  utmost  endeavour  for  the  regeneration  of  these  souls.  .  .  . 

“  One  night  in  a  dream  this  all-glorious  word  was  heard  from  all 
sides :  ‘  Verily  we  will  aid  thee  to  triumph  by  thyself  and  by  thy  pen. 
Grieve  not  for  that  which  hath  befallen  thee,  and  have  no  fear.  Truly 
thou  art  of  them  that  are  secure.  Ere  long  shall  the  Lord  send  forth 
and  reveal  the  treasures  of  the  earth,  men  who  shall  give  thee  the  victory 
by  thyself  and  by  thy  name  wherewith  the  Lord  hath  revived  the  hearts 
of  them  that  know  5  ”  (see  Epitre  au  Fils  du  Loup ,  pp.  20-22). 

Exile  to  Baghdad. 

This  terrible  imprisonment  lasted  four  months,  but  Baha’u’llah 
and  his  companions  remained  zealous  and  enthusiastic,  in  the 
greatest  of  happiness.  Almost  every  day  one  or  more  of  them 
was  tortured  or  put  to  death  and  the  others  reminded  that  their 
turn  might  come  next.  When  the  executioners  came  to  fetch 
one  of  the  friends,  the  one  whose  name  was  called  would  literally 
dance  with  joy,  kiss  the  hands  of  Baha’u’llah,  embrace  the  rest 
of  his  fellow-believers  and  then  hasten  with  glad  eagerness  to  the 
place  of  martyrdom. 

It  was  conclusively  proved  that  Baha’u’llah  had  no  share  in 

3 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


34 

the  plot  against  the  Shah,  and  the  Russian  Minister  testified  to 
the  purity  of  his  character.  He  was,  moreover,  so  ill  that  it  was 
thought  he  would  die.  Instead,  therefore,  of  sentencing  him  to 
death,  the  Shah  ordered  that  he  should  be  exiled  to  ‘Iraq-i-4Arab, 
in  Mesopotamia  ;  and  thither,  a  fortnight  later,  Baha’u’llah 
set  out,  accompanied  by  his  family  and  a  number  of  other  believers. 
They  suffered  terribly  from  cold  and  other  hardships  on  the 
long  winter  journey,  and  arrived  in  Baghdad  in  a  state  of  almost 
utter  destitution.1 

As  soon  as  his  health  permitted,  Baha’u’llah  began  to  teach 
enquirers  and  to  encourage  and  exhort  the  believers,  and  soon 
peace  and  happiness  reigned  among  the  Babls.2 3  This,  however, 
was  short-lived.  Baha’u’llah’s  half-brother,  Mirza  Yahya,  also 
known  as  Subh-i-Azal,  arrived  in  Baghdad,  and  soon  afterwards 
differences,  secretly  instigated  by  him,  began  to  grow,  just  as 
similar  divisions  had  arisen  among  the  disciples  of  Christ.  These 
differences  (which  later,  in  Adrianople,  became  open  and  violent) 
were  very  painful  to  Baha’u’llah,  whose  whole  aim  in  life  was 
the  promotion  of  unity  among  the  people  of  the  world. 

Two  Years  in  tlie  Wilderness. 

About  a  year  after  coming  to  Baghdad,  he  departed  alone  into 
the  wilderness  of  Sulaymanlyyih,  taking  with  him  nothing  but  a 
change  of  clothes.  Regarding  this  period  he  writes  in  the  Book 
of  Iqan  as  follows  : — 

“  As  this  servant,  upon  his  arrival  in  this  land  (Baghdad)  became  aware, 
in  part,  of  events  which  would  subsequently  happen,  we  took  our  departure 
...  to  deserts  of  solitude  and  spent  two  years  in  the  wilderness  of  isola¬ 
tion.  .  .  .  Many  a  night  we  were  destitute  of  food  and  many  a  day  the 
body  found  no  rest.  Notwithstanding  these  showering  afflictions  and 
successive  calamities — by  the  One  in  Whose  Hand  is  our  soul — We 
continued  in  perfect  happiness  and  exceeding  joy.  .  .  .  We  swear  by 
God  that  We  had  no  intention  of  return  from  this  exile,  nor  hope  of 
reunion  after  this  journey.  Our  only  purpose  was  to  avoid  being  a  cause 

1  The  party  left  Tihran  in  the  month  of  Rabi  I,  1269  a.h.  (December  1852- 
January  1853  a.d.),  and  arrived  at  Baghdad  in  the  following  month,  Rabi  II? 

the  duration  of  the  journey  being  between  forty  and  fifty  days  (Av&rih). 

3  This  was  early  in  the  year  1853,  or  nine  years  after  the  Bab’s  Declaration, 
thus  fulfilling  certain  prophecies  of  the  Bab  concerning  “  the  year  nine.” 


BAHA’U’LLAH:  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  35 

of  disagreement  among  the  beloved  ones,  a  source  of  disturbance  among 
the  friends,  the  means  of  injury  to  anyone,  or  the  occasion  of  sorrow 
to  any  heart.  We  had  no  other  intention  or  object  whatever.  Yet 
every  individual  formed  an  opinion  or  surmise  according  to  his  own 
inclination.  Finally  the  decree  of  return  emanated  from  the  Source 
of  Command  (i.e.  God)  and  We  accordingly  obeyed  and  returned.  The 
pen  is  unable  to  record  that  which  befell  us  after  our  return.  For  two 
years  enemies  exerted  their  utmost  efforts  to  destroy  this  humble  servant, 
as  all  are  aware.  .  . 

Opposition  of  Mullas. 

After  his  return  from  this  retirement,  his  fame  became  greater 
than  ever  and  people  flocked  to  Baghdad  from  far  and  near  to  see 
him  and  hear  his  teachings.  Jews,  Christians  and  Zoroastrians, 
as  well  as  Muhammadans,  became  interested  in  the  new  message. 
The  Mullas  (Muhammadan  doctors),  however,  took  up  a  hostile 
attitude  and  persistently  plotted  to  effect  his  overthrow.  On  a 
certain  occasion  they  sent  one  of  their  number  to  interview  him 
and  submit  to  him  certain  questions.  The  envoy  found  the  answers 
of  Baha’u’llah  so  convincing  and  his  wisdom  so  amazing,  although 
evidently  not  acquired  by  study,  that  he  was  obliged  to  confess 
that  in  knowledge  and  understanding  Baha’u’llah  was  peerless. 
In  order,  however,  that  the  Mullas  who  had  sent  him 
should  be  satisfied  as  to  the  reality  of  Baha’u’llah’s 
prophethood,  he  asked  that  some  miracle  should  be 
produced  as  a  proof.  Baha’u’llah  expressed  his  willingness 
to  accept  the  suggestion  on  certain  conditions,  declaring  that 
if  the  Mullas  would  agree  regarding  some  miracle  to  be  performed, 
and  would  sign  and  seal  a  document  to  the  effect  that  on 
performance  of  this  miracle  they  would  confess  the  validity  of 
his  mission  and  cease  to  oppose  him,  he  would  furnish  the  desired 
proof  or  else  stand  convicted  of  imposture.  Had  the  aim  of  the 
Mullas  been  to  get  at  the  truth,  surely  here  was  their  opportunity  ; 
but  their  intention  was  far  otherwise.  Rightly  or  wrongly, 
they  meant  to  secure  a  decision  in  their  own  favour.  They  feared 
the  truth  and  fled  from  the  daring  challenge.  This  discomfiture, 
however,  only  spurred  them  on  to  devise  fresh  plots  for  the 
eradication  of  the  oppressed  sect.  The  Persian  Consul-General 
in  Baghdad  came  to  their  assistance  and  sent  repeated  messages 


36  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

to  the  Shah  to  the  effect  that  Baha’u’llah  was  injuring  the 
Muhammadan  religion  more  than  ever,  still  exerting  a  malign 
influence  in  Persia,  and  that  he  ought  therefore  to  be  banished  to 
some  more  distant  place. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Baha’u’llah  that,  at  this  crisis,  when 
at  the  instigation  of  the  Muhammadan  Mullas  the  Persian  and 
Turkish  Governments  were  combining  their  efforts  to  eradicate 
the  Movement,  he  remained  calm  and  serene,  encouraging  and 
inspiring  his  followers  and  writing  imperishable  words  of  consola¬ 
tion  and  guidance.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  relates  how  the  Hidden  Words 
were  written  at  this  time.  Baha’u’llah  would  often  go  for  a  walk 
along  the  bank  of  the  Tigris.  He  would  come  back  looking 
very  happy  and  write  down  those  lyric  gems  of  wise  counsel  which 
have  brought  help  and  healing  to  thousands  of  aching  and  troubled 
hearts.  For  years,  only  a  few  manuscript  copies  of  the  Hidden 
Words  were  in  existence,  and  these  had  to  be  carefully  concealed 
lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemies  that  abounded, 
but  now  this  little  volume  is  probably  the  best  known  of  all 
Baha’u’llah’s  works,  and  is  read  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  The 
Book  of  Iqan  is  another  well-known  work  of  Baha’u’llah’s  written 
about  the  same  period,  towards  the  end  of  his  sojourn  at  Baghdad 
(1862-1863  A.D.). 

Declaration  at  Ridvan,1  near  Baghdad. 

After  much  negotiation,  at  the  request  of  the  Persian  Govern¬ 
ment,  an  order  was  issued  by  the  Turkish  Government  summoning 
Baha’u’llah  to  Constantinople.  On  receipt  of  this  news  his 
followers  were  in  consternation.  They  besieged  the  house  of 
their  beloved  leader  to  such  an  extent  that  the  family  encamped 
in  the  Garden  of  Najlb  Pasha  outside  the  town,  for  twelve  days, 
while  the  caravan  was  being  prepared  for  the  long  journey.  It 
was  on  the  first  of  these  twelve  days  (April  21  to  May  3,  1863, 
i.e.  nineteen  years  after  the  Bab’s  declaration)  that  Baha’u’llah 
announced  to  several  of  his  followers  the  glad  tidings  that  he  was 
the  one  whose  coming  had  been  foretold  by  the  Bab — the  Chosen 
of  God,  the  Promised  One  of  all  the  prophets.  The  Garden 
where  this  memorable  declaration  took  place  has  become  known 

*  Pronounced  RizwSn. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  37 

to  Baha’is  as  the  “  Garden  of  Ridvan,”  and  the  days  Baha’u’llah 
spent  there  are  commemorated  in  the  “  Feast  of  Ridvan,”  which 
is  held  annually  on  the  anniversary  of  those  twelve  days.  During 
those  days  Baha’u’llah,  instead  of  being  sad  or  depressed,  showed 
the  greatest  joy,  dignity  and  power.  His  followers  became  happy 
and  enthusiastic,  and  great  crowds  came  to  pay  their  respects  to 
him.  All  the  notables  of  Baghdad,  even  the  Governor  himself, 
came  to  honour  the  departing  prisoner. 


Constantinople  and  Adrianople. 

The  journey  to  Constantinople  lasted  between  three  and  four 
months,  and  the  party,  consisting  of  Baha’u’llah  with  twelve 
members  of  his  family  and  seventy-two  disciples,  suffered  greatly 
from  exposure.  Arrived  in  Constantinople  they  found  themselves 
prisoners  in  a  small  house  in  which  they  were  very  much  over¬ 
crowded.  Later  they  got  somewhat  better  quarters,  but  after 
four  months  they  were  again  moved  on,  this  time  to  Adrianople. 
The  journey  to  Adrianople,  although  it  lasted  but  a  few  days, 
was  the  most  terrible  they  had  yet  undertaken.  Snow  fell  heavily 
most  of  the  time,  and  as  they  were  destitute  of  proper  clothing  and 
food,  their  sufferings  were  extreme.  For  the  first  winter  in 
Adrianople,  Baha’u’llah  and  his  family,  numbering  twelve  persons, 
were  accommodated  in  a  small  house  of  three  rooms,  comfortless 
and  vermin-infested.  In  the  spring  they  were  given  a  more 
comfortable  abode.  They  remained  in  Adrianople  over  four  and 
a  half  years.  Here  Baha’u’llah  resumed  his  teaching  and  gathered 
about  him  a  large  following.  He  publicly  announced  his  mission 
and  was  enthusiastically  accepted  by  the  majority  of  the  Babls , 
who  were  known  thereafter  as  Bahais.  A  minority,  however, 
under  the  leadership  of  Baha’u’llah’s  half-brother,  Mirza  Yahya, 
became  violently  opposed  to  him  and  joined  with  their  former 
enemies,  the  ShPahs,  in  plotting  for  his  overthrow.  Great  troubles 
ensued,  and  at  last  the  Turkish  Government  banished  both  Babls 
and  Baha’is  from  Adrianople,  exiling  Baha’u’llah  and  his  followers 
to  ‘Akka,  in  Palestine,  where  they  arrived  (according  to  Nabll) 
on  August  31,  1868,  while  Mirza  Yahya  and  his  party  were  sent 
to  Cyprus. 


38  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

Letters  to  Kings. 

About  this  time  Baha’u’llah  wrote  his  famous  series  of  letters 
to  the  principal  crowned  heads  of  Europe,  the  Pope,  the  Shah 
of  Persia  and  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  announcing 
his  mission  and  calling  on  them  to  bend  their  energies  to  the 
establishment  of  true  religion,  just  government  and  international 
peace.  In  his  letter  to  the  Shah  he  powerfully  pleaded  the  cause 
of  the  oppressed  Babls  and  asked  to  be  brought  face  to  face  with 
those  who  had  instigated  their  persecution.  Needless  to  say, 
this  request  was  not  complied  with  ;  Badl‘,  the  young  and  devoted 
Baha’i  who  delivered  the  letter  of  Baha’u’llah,  was  seized  and 
martyred  with  fearful  tortures,  hot  bricks  being  pressed  on  his 
flesh  ! 

In  the  same  letter  Baha’u’llah  gives  a  most  moving  account  of 
his  own  sufferings  and  longings  : — 

“  O  king,  I  have  seen  in  the  way  of  God  what  no  eye  hath  seen  and 
no  ear  hath  heard.  Friends  have  disclaimed  me  ;  ways  are  straitened 
unto  me ;  the  pool  of  safety  is  dried  up  ;  the  plain  of  ease  is  scorched 
yellow.  How  many  calamities  have  descended,  and  how  many  will 
descend  !  I  walk  advancing  toward  the  Mighty,  the  Bounteous,  while 
behind  me  glides  the  serpent.  My  eyes  rain  down  tears  until  my  bed 
is  drenched  ;  but  my  sorrow  is  not  for  myself.  By  God,  my  head  longeth 
for  the  spears  for  the  love  of  its  Lord,  and  I  never  pass  by  a  tree  but  my 
heart  addresseth  it  saying,  ‘  O  would  that  thou  wert  cut  down  in  my  name 
and  my  body  were  crucified  upon  thee  in  the  way  of  my  Lord  !  ’  Yea, 
because  I  see  mankind  going  astray  in  their  intoxication  and  they  know 
it  not  :  they  have  exalted  their  lusts  and  put  aside  their  God,  as  though 
they  took  the  Command  of  God  for  a  mockery,  a  sport  and  a  plaything  ; 
and  they  think  that  they  do  well,  and  that  they  are  harboured  in  the 
citadel  of  security.  The  matter  is  not  as  they  suppose  :  to-morrow  they 
shall  see  what  they  now  deny. 

“  We  are  about  to  shift  from  this  most  remote  place  of  banishment 
(Adrianople)  unto  the  prison  of  Acre.  And  according  to  what  they  say, 
it  is  assuredly  the  most  desolate  of  the  cities  of  the  world,  the  most  un¬ 
sightly  of  them  in  appearance,  the  most  detestable  in  climate,  and  the  foulest 
in  water  ;  it  is  as  though  it  were  the  metropolis  of  the  owl ;  there  is 
naught  heard  therein  save  the  sound  of  its  hooting.  And  in  it  they  intend 
to  imprison  the  servant,  and  to  shut  in  our  faces  the  doors  of  leniency 
and  take  away  from  us  the  good  things  of  the  life  of  the  world  during 
what  remaineth  of  our  days.  By  God,  though  weariness  should  weaken 
me,  and  hunger  should  destroy  me,  though  my  couch  should  be  made 
of  the  hard  rock  and  my  associates  of  the  beasts  of  the  desert,  I  will  not 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  39 

blench,  but  will  be  patient,  as  the  resolute  and  determined  are  patient, 
in  the  strength  of  God,  the  King  of  Pre-existence,  the  Creator  of  the 
nations  ;  and  under  all  circumstances  I  give  thanks  unto  God.  And  we 
hope  of  His  graciousness  (exalted  is  He)  .  .  .  that  He  will  render  all 
men’s  faces  sincere  towards  Him,  the  Mighty,  the  Bounteous.  Verily 
He  answereth  him  who  prayeth  unto  Him,  and  is  near  unto  him  who 
calleth  on  Him.  And  we  ask  Him  to  make  this  dark  calamity  a  buckler 
for  the  body  of  His  saints,  and  to  protect  them  thereby  from  the  sharp 
swords  and  piercing  blades.  Through  affliction  hath  his  light  shone 
and  His  praise  been  bright  unceasingly  :  this  hath  been  His  method 
through  past  ages  and  bygone  times.” — Episode  of  the  Bab ,  pp. 
146,  147. 

Imprisonment  in  ‘Akka. 

At  that  time  ‘Akka  (Acre)  was  a  prison-city  to  which  the  worst 
criminals  were  sent  from  all  parts  of  the  Turkish  Empire.  On 
arriving  there,  after  a  miserable  sea  journey,  Baha’u’llah  and  his 
followers,  about  eighty  to  eighty-four  in  number,  including  men, 
women  and  children,  were  imprisoned  in  the  army  barracks. 
The  place  was  dirty  and  cheerless  in  the  extreme.  There  were 
no  beds  or  comforts  of  any  sort.  The  food  supplied  was  wretched 
and  inadequate,  so  much  so  that  after  a  time  the  prisoners  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  buy  their  food  for  themselves.  During  the  first 
few  days  the  children  were  crying  continually,  and  sleep  was 
almost  impossible.  Malaria,  dysentery  and  other  diseases  soon 
broke  out,  and  everyone  in  the  company  fell  sick,  with  the  exception 
of  five  (who  became  victims  later  on).  Four  succumbed  to  their 
sickness,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  survivors  were  indescribable.1 

This  rigorous  imprisonment  lasted  for  two  years,  during  which 
time  none  of  the  Baha’is  were  allowed  outside  the  prison  door, 
except  four  men,  carefully  guarded,  who  went  out  daily  to  buy 
food. 

During  the  imprisonment  in  the  barracks,  visitors  were  rigidly 
excluded.  Several  of  the  Baha’is  of  Persia  came  all  the  way  on 
foot  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  their  beloved  leader,  but  were 
refused  admittance  within  the  city  walls.  They  used  to  go  to 

1  **  In  order  to  bury  two  of  those  who  died,  Baha’u’llah  gave  his  own  carpet 
to  be  sold  for  the  expenses  of  their  burial,  but  instead  of  using  this  money  for 
that  purpose  the  soldiers  appropriated  it,  and  thrust  the  bodies  into  a  hole  in 
the  ground.” — Avarih. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


40 

a  place  on  the  plain  outside  the  third  moat,  from  which  they 
could  see  the  windows  of  Baha’u’llah’s  quarters.  He  would  show 
himself  to  them  at  one  of  the  windows,  and,  after  gazing  on  him 
from  afar,  they  would  weep  and  return  to  their  homes,  fired  with 
new  zeal  for  sacrifice  and  service. 

Restrictions  Relaxed. 

At  last  the  imprisonment  was  mitigated.  A  mobilization  of 
Turkish  troops  occurred  and  the  barracks  were  required  for 
soldiers.  Baha’u’llah  and  his  family  were  transferred  to  a  house 
by  themselves  and  the  rest  of  the  party  were  accommodated  in 
a  caravansera  in  the  town.  Baha’u’llah  was  confined  for  seven 
more  years  in  this  house.  In  a  small  room  near  that  in  which 
he  was  imprisoned,  thirteen  of  his  household,  including  both  sexes, 
had  to  accommodate  themselves  as  best  they  could  !  In  the 
earlier  part  of  their  stay  in  this  house  they  suffered  greatly  from 
insufficiency  of  accommodation,  inadequate  food  supply  and  lack 
of  the  ordinary  conveniences  of  life.  After  a  time,  however, 
a  few  additional  rooms  were  placed  at  their  disposal  and  they  were 
able  to  live  in  comparative  comfort.  From  the  time  Baha’u’llah 
and  his  companions  left  the  barracks,  visitors  were  allowed  to  see 
them,  and  gradually  the  severe  restrictions  imposed  by  the  Imperial 
firmans  were  more  and  more  left  in  abeyance,  although  now  and 
then  reimposed  for  a  time. 

Prison  Gates  Opened. 

Even  when  the  imprisonment  was  at  its  worst,  the  Baha’is 
were  not  dismayed,  and  their  serene  confidence  was  never  shaken. 
While  in  the  barracks  at  ‘Akka  Baha’u’llah  wrote  to  some  friends, 
“  Fear  not.  These  doors  shall  be  opened.  My  tent  shall  be 
pitched  on  Mount  Carmel,  and  the  utmost  joy  shall  be  realized.” 
This  declaration  was  a  great  source  of  consolation  to  his  followers, 
and  in  due  course  it  was  literally  fulfilled.  The  story  of  how  the 
prison  doors  were  opened  had  best  be  told  in  the  words  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha,  as  translated  by  his  grandson,  Shoghi  Effendi  : — 

“  Baha’u’llah  loved  the  beauty  and  verdure  of  the  country.  One  day 
he  passed  the  remark :  ‘  I  have  not  gazed  on  verdure  for  nine  years. 
The  country  is  the  world  of  the  soul,  the  city  is  the  world  of  bodies.* 


BAHA’U’LLAH:  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD 


4i 

When  I  heard  indirectly  of  this  saying  I  realized  that  he  was  longing  for 
the  country,  and  I  was  sure  that  whatever  I  could  do  towards  the  carrying 
out  of  his  wish  would  be  successful.  There  was  in  ‘Akka  at  that  time  a 
man  called  Muhammad  Pasha  Safwat,  who  was  very  much  opposed  to 
us.  He  had  a  palace  called  Mazra‘ih,  about  four  miles  north  of  the  city,  a 
lovely  place,  surrounded  by  gardens  and  with  a  stream  of  running  water. 
I  went  and  called  on  this  Pasha  at  his  home.  I  said  :  ‘  Pasha,  you  have 
left  the  palace  empty,  and  are  living  in  ‘Akka.’  He  replied  :  ‘  I  am  an 
invalid  and  cannot  leave  the  city.  If  I  go  there  it  is  lonely  and  I  am  cut 
off  from  my  friends.’  I  said  :  *  While  you  are  not  living  there  and  the 
place  is  empty,  let  it  to  us.’  He  was  amazed  at  the  proposal,  but  soon 
consented.  I  got  the  house  at  a  very  low  rent,  about  five  pounds  per 
annum,  paid  him  for  five  years  and  made  a  contract.  I  sent  labourers 
to  repair  the  place  and  put  the  garden  in  order  and  had  a  bath  built.  I 
also  had  a  carriage  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  Blessed  Beauty.1  One  day 
I  determined  to  go  and  see  the  place  for  myself.  Notwithstanding  the 
repeated  injunctions  given  in  successive  firmans  that  we  were  on  no  account 
to  pass  the  limits  of  the  city  walls,  I  walked  out  through  the  city  gate. 
Gendarmes  were  on  guard,  but  they  made  no  objection,  so  I  proceeded 
straight  to  the  palace.  The  next  day  I  again  went  out,  with  some  friends 
and  officials,  unmolested  and  unopposed,  although  the  guards  and  sentinels 
stood  on  both  sides  of  the  City  Gates.  Another  day  I  arranged  a  banquet, 
spread  a  table  under  the  pine  trees  of  Bahji,  and  gathered  round  it  the 
notables  and  officials  of  the  town.  In  the  evening  we  all  returned 
to  the  town  together. 

“  One  day  I  went  to  the  Holy  Presence  of  the  Blessed  Beauty  1  and 
said  :  ‘  The  palace  at  Mazra‘ih  is  ready  for  you,  and  a  carriage  to  drive 
you  there.’  (At  that  time  there  were  no  carriages  in  ‘Akka  or  Haifa.) 
He  refused  to  go,  saying  :  *  I  am  a  prisoner.’  Later  I  requested  him 
again,  but  got  the  same  answer.  I  went  so  far  as  to  ask  him  a  third  time, 
but  he  still  said  ‘  No  !  ’  and  I  did  not  dare  to  insist  further.  There  was, 
however,  in  ‘Akka  a  certain  Muhammadan  Shaykh,  a  well-known  man 
with  considerable  influence,  who  loved  Baha’u’llah  and  was  greatly 
favoured  by  him.  I  called  this  Shaykh  and  explained  the  position  to 
him.  I  said,  ‘You  are  daring.  Go  to-night  to  His  Holy  Presence, 
fall  on  your  knees  before  him,  take  hold  of  his  hands  and  do  not  let  go 
until  he  promises  to  leave  the  city  !  ’  He  was  an  Arab.  .  .  .  He  went 
directly  to  Baha’u’llah  and  sat  down  close  to  his  knees.  He  took  hold 
of  the  hands  of  the  Blessed  Beauty  and  kissed  them  and  asked  :  ‘  Why 
do  you  not  leave  the  city  ?  *  He  said  :  *  I  am  a  prisoner.*  The  Shaykh 
replied  :  ‘  God  forbid  !  Who  has  the  power  to  make  you  a  prisoner  ? 
You  have  kept  yourself  in  prison.  It  was  your  own  will  to  be  imprisoned, 
and  now  I  beg  you  to  come  out  and  go  to  the  palace.  It  is  beautiful  and 

1  Jamal-i-Mubarak  (lit.  Blessed  Beauty)  was  a  title  frequently  applied  to 
Baha’u’llah  by  his  followers  and  friends. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


42 

verdant.  The  trees  are  lovely,  and  the  oranges  like  balls  of  fire ! 9  As 
often  as  the  Blessed  Beauty  said  :  *  I  am  a  prisoner,  it  cannot  be,’  the 
ShaykJ}  took  his  hands  and  kissed  them.  For  a  whole  hour  he  kept  on 
pleading.  At  last  Baha’u’llah  said,  *  Khayli  khub  (very  good)  ’  and  the 
Shaykh’s  patience  and  persistence  were  rewarded.  He  came  to  me 
with  great  joy  to  give  the  glad  news  of  His  Holiness’s  consent.  In  spite 
of  the  strict  firman  of  ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz  which  prohibited  my  meeting  or 
having  any  intercourse  with  the  Blessed  Perfection,  I  took  the  carriage 
the  next  day  and  drove  with  him  to  the  palace.  No  one  made  any  objec¬ 
tion.  I  left  him  there  and  returned  myself  to  the  city. 

“  For  two  years  he  remained  in  that  charming  and  lovely  spot.  Then 
it  was  decided  to  remove  to  another  place,  at  Bahjl.  It  so  happened 
that  an  epidemic  disease  had  broken  out  at  Bahjl,  and  the  proprietor  of 
the  house  fled  away  in  distress,  with  all  his  family,  ready  to  offer  the  house 
free  of  charge  to  any  applicant.  We  took  the  house  at  a  very  low  rent, 
and  there  the  doors  of  majesty  and  true  sovereignty  were  flung  wide 
open.  Baha’u’llah  was  nominally  a  prisoner  (for  the  drastic  firmans  of 
Sultan  ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz  were  never  repealed),  yet  in  reality  he  shewed  forth 
such  nobility  and  dignity  in  his  life  and  bearing  that  he  was  reverenced 
by  all,  and  the  Rulers  of  Palestine  envied  his  influence  and  power. 
Governors  and  Muta^arrifs,  generals  and  local  officials,  would  humbly 
request  the  honour  of  attaining  his  presence — a  request  to  which  he 
seldom  acceded. 

“  On  one  occasion  a  Governor  of  the  city  implored  this  favour  on  the 
ground  of  his  being  ordered  by  higher  authorities  to  visit,  with  a  certain 
general,  the  Blessed  Perfection.  The  request  being  granted,  the  general, 
who  was  a  very  corpulent  individual,  an  European,  was  so  impressed  by 
the  majestic  presence  of  Baha’u’llah  that  he  remained  kneeling  on  the 
ground  near  the  door.  Such  was  the  diffidence  of  both  visitors  that  it 
was  only  after  repeated  invitations  from  Baha’u’llah  that  they  were  induced 
to  smoke  the  narguileh  (hubble-bubble  pipe)  offered  to  them.  Even 
then  they  only  touched  it  with  their  lips,  and  then,  putting  it  aside,  folded 
their  arms  and  sat  in  an  attitude  of  such  humility  and  respect  as  to  astonish 
all  those  who  were  present. 

“  The  loving  reverence  of  friends,  the  consideration  and  respect  that 
were  shown  by  all  officials  and  notables,  the  inflow  of  pilgrims  and 
seekers  after  truth,  the  spirit  of  devotion  and  service  that  was  manifest 
all  around,  the  majestic  and  kingly  countenance  of  the  Blessed  Perfection, 
the  effectiveness  of  his  command,  the  number  of  his  zealous  devotees — 
all  bore  witness  to  the  fact  that  Baha’u’llah  was  in  reality  no  prisoner, 
but  a  King  of  Kings.  Two  despotic  sovereigns  were  against  him,  two 
powerful  autocratic  rulers,  yet,  even  when  confined  in  their  own  prisons, 
he  addressed  them  in  very  austere  terms,  like  a  king  addressing  his  subjects. 
Afterwards,  in  spite  of  the  severe  firmans,  he  lived  at  Bahjl  like  a  prince. 
Often  he  would  say :  *  Verily,  verily,  the  most  wretched  prison  has 
been  converted  into  a  Paradise  of  Eden.’ 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  43 

“  Surely,  such  a  thing  has  not  been  witnessed  since  the  creation  of  the 
world.” 

Life  at  Bahji. 

Having  in  his  earlier  years  of  hardship  shown  how  to  glorify 
God  in  a  state  of  poverty  and  ignominy,  Baha’u’llah  in  his  later 
years  at  Bahji  showed  how  to  glorify  God  in  a  state  of  honour  and 
affluence.  The  offerings  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  devoted 
followers  placed  at  his  disposal  large  funds  which  he  was  called  upon 
to  administer.  Although  his  life  at  Bahji  has  been  described  as 
truly  regal,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word,  yet  it  must  not  be 
imagined  that  it  was  characterized  by  material  splendour  or 
extravagance.  The  Blessed  Perfection  and  his  family  lived  in 
very  simple  and  modest  fashion,  and  expenditure  on  selfish  luxury 
was  a  thing  unknown  in  that  household.  Near  his  home  the 
believers  prepared  a  beautiful  garden  called  Ridvan,  in  which  he 
often  spent  many  consecutive  days  or  even  weeks,  sleeping  at  night 
in  a  little  cottage  in  the  garden.  Occasionally  he  went  further 
afield.  He  made  several  visits  to  ‘Akka  and  Haifa,  and  on  more 
than  one  occasion  pitched  his  tent  on  Mount  Carmel,  as  he  had 
predicted  when  imprisoned  in  the  barracks  at  ‘Akka.  The 
time  of  Baha’u’llah  was  spent  for  the  most  part  in  prayer  and 
meditation,  in  writing  the  Sacred  Books,  revealing  Tablets,  and 
in  the  spiritual  education  of  the  Friends.  In  order  to  give  him 
entire  freedom  for  this  great  work,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  undertook  the 
arrangement  of  all  other  affairs,  even  meeting  the  Mullas,  poets, 
and  members  of  the  Government.  All  of  these  were  delighted 
and  happy  through  meeting  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  and  entirely  satisfied 
with  his  explanations  and  talks,  and  although  they  had  not 
met  Baha’u’llah  himself,  they  became  full  of  friendly  feeling 
towards  him,  through  their  acquaintanceship  with  his  son,  for 
‘  Abdu’l-Baha’ s  attitude  caused  them  to  understand  the  station  of 
his  father. 

The  distinguished  orientalist,  Professor  Edward  G.  Browne, 
of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  visited  Baha’u’llah  at  Bahji 
in  the  year  1890,  and  records  his  impressions  as  follows  : — 

“  My  conductor  paused  for  a  moment  while  I  removed  my  shoes. 
Then  with  a  quick  movement  of  the  hand  he  withdrew,  and,  as  I  passed, 


44 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


replaced  the  curtain  ;  and  I  found  myself  in  a  large  apartment,  along 
the  upper  end  of  which  ran  a  low  divan,  while  on  the  side  opposite  to 
the  door  were  placed  two  or  three  chairs.  Though  I  dimly  suspected 
whither  I  was  going,  and  whom  I  was  to  behold  (for  no  distinct  intima¬ 
tion  had  been  given  to  me),  a  second  or  two  elapsed  ere,  with  a  throb 
of  wonder  and  awe,  I  became  definitely  conscious  that  the  room  was 
not  untenanted.  In  the  comer  where  the  divan  met  the  wall  sat  a  won¬ 
drous  and  venerable  figure,  crowned  with  a  felt  head-dress  of  the  kind 
called  taj  by  dervishes  (but  of  unusual  height  and  make),  round  the  base 
of  which  was  wound  a  small  white  turban.  The  face  of  him  on  whom 
I  gazed  I  can  never  forget,  though  I  cannot  describe  it.  Those  piercing 
eyes  seemed  to  read  one’s  very  soul ;  power  and  authority  sat  on  that 
ample  brow ;  while  the  deep  lines  on  the  forehead  and  face  implied  an 
age  which  the  jet-black  hair  and  beard  flowing  down  in  indistinguishable 
luxuriance  almost  to  the  waist  seemed  to  belie.  No  need  to  ask  in  whose 
presence  I  stood,  as  I  bowed  myself  before  One  who  is  the  object  of  a 
devotion  and  love  which  kings  might  envy  and  emperors  sigh  for  in  vain  ! 

“  A  mild  dignified  voice  bade  me  be  seated,  and  then  continued  : 
*  Praise  be  to  God  that  thou  hast  attained  !  .  .  .  Thou  hast  come  to  see 
a  prisoner  and  an  exile.  .  .  .  We  desire  but  the  good  of  the  world  and 
the  happiness  of  the  nations ;  yet  they  deem  us  a  stirrer-up  of  strife  and 
sedition  worthy  of  bondage  and  banishment.  .  .  .  That  all  nations  should 
become  one  in  faith  and  all  men  as  brothers ;  that  the  bonds  of  affection 
and  unity  between  the  sons  of  men  should  be  strengthened  ;  that  diversity 
of  religion  should  cease,  and  differences  of  race  be  annulled — what  harm 
is  there  in  this?  ...  Yet  so  it  shall  be;  these  fruitless  strifes,  these 
ruinous  wars  shall  pass  away,  and  the  “  Most  Great  Peace  ”  shall  come. 
.  .  .  Do  not  you  in  Europe  need  this  also  ?  Is  not  this  that  which  Christ 
foretold  ?  ...  Yet  do  we  see  your  kings  and  rulers  lavishing  their 
treasures  more  freely  on  means  for  the  destruction  of  the  human  race  than 
on  that  which  would  conduce  to  the  happiness  of  mankind.  .  .  .  These 
strifes  and  this  bloodshed  and  discord  must  cease,  and  all  men  be  as  one 
kindred  and  one  family.  .  .  .  Let  not  a  man  glory  in  this,  that  he  loves 
his  country ;  let  him  rather  glory  in  this,  that  he  loves  his  kind.  .  .  .’ 

“  Such,  so  far  as  I  can  recall  them,  were  the  words  which,  besides  many 
others,  I  heard  from  Baha.  Let  those  who  read  them  consider  well  with 
themselves  whether  such  doctrines  merit  death  and  bonds,  and  whether 
the  world  is  more  likely  to  gain  or  lose  by  their  diffusion.” — Introduction 
to  “A  Traveller’s  Narrative,”  Episode  of  the  Bab ,  p.  39. 

Ascension. 

Thus  simply  and  serenely  did  Baha’u’llah  pass  the  evening  of 
his  life  on  earth  until,  after  an  attack  of  fever,  he  passed  away  on 
the  28th  of  May,  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Among  the 
last  Tablets  he  revealed  was  his  Will  and  Testament,  which  he 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  45 

wrote  with  his  own  hand  and  duly  signed  and  sealed.  Nine  days 
after  his  death  the  seals  were  broken  by  his  eldest  son,  in  the  presence 
of  members  of  the  family  and  a  few  friends,  and  the  contents  of 
the  short  but  remarkable  document  were  made  known.  By 
this  will  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  was  constituted  his  father’s  representative 
and  the  expounder  of  his  teachings,  and  the  family  and  relatives 
of  Baha’u’llah  and  all  believers  were  instructed  to  turn  to  him  and 
obey  him.  By  this  arrangement  sectarianism  and  division  were 
provided  against  and  the  unity  of  the  Cause  assured. 

Prophethood  of  Baha’u’llah. 

It  is  important  to  have  clear  ideas  of  Baha’u’llah’s  prophethood. 
His  utterances,  like  those  of  other  divine  “  Manifestations,”  may 
be  divided  into  two  classes,  in  one  of  which  he  writes  or  speaks 
simply  as  a  man  who  has  been  charged  by  God  with  a  message  to 
his  fellows,  while  in  the  other  class  the  words  purport  to  be  the 
direct  utterance  of  God  Himself. 

He  writes  in  the  Book  of  Iqan  : — 

“  There  are  two  stations  for  the  Suns  rising  from  the  Daysprings  of 
Divinity.  One  is  the  station  of  Unity  and  condition  of  Oneness.  ‘We 
make  no  distinction  between  any  of  them  ’  (Qur’an,  S.  2).  The  other 
station  is  that  of  distinction,  creation  and  human  limitations.  In  this 
station  for  each  one  a  temple  is  designated,  a  mission  is  indicated,  a  mani¬ 
festation  is  decreed,  and  certain  limitations  are  assigned.  Each  one 
is  named  by  a  certain  name,  characterized  by  certain  qualities  and  appointed 
to  a  new  Cause  and  Law  ;  as  it  is  said  :  ‘  These  are  the  Messengers  ;  We 
have  preferred  some  of  them  before  others.  Some  of  them  hath  God 
spoken  unto,  and  hath  exalted  the  degree  of  others  of  them.  And  We 
gave  unto  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Mary,  manifest  signs  and  strengthened  Him 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  ’  (Qur’an,  S.  2).  .  .  . 

“  In  the  station  of  Oneness  and  rank  of  Singleness,  pure  Sublimity, 
Divinity,  Unity  and  absolute  Deity  have  been  and  are  ascribed  to  those 
Essences  of  Existence,  because  they  are  all  seated  upon  the  throne  of  the 
‘  Manifestation  of  God  ’  .  .  .  that  is,  the  appearance  and  the  beauty 
of  God  is  revealed  by  their  beauty.  .  .  . 

“  In  the  second  station,  which  is  that  of  distinction,  separation,  limitation 
and  temporal  conditions  and  indications,  they  show  forth  absolute  servi¬ 
tude,  real  need  and  utter  lowliness ;  as  it  is  said  :  ‘  Verily,  I  am  the  servant 
of  God,’  and  ‘  Verily,  I  am  only  a  man  like  you  ’  (Qur’an,  S.  41). 

“  If  it  be  heard  from  the  Perfect  Manifestations :  ‘  Verily  I  am  God,* 
it  is  true  and  without  doubt,  for  .  .  .  through  their  Manifestation, 


46  BAHA’U'LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

Attributes  and  Names,  the  Manifestation  of  God,  the  Attributes  of  God 
and  the  Name  of  God  appear  upon  earth.  .  .  .  Likewise  if  they  say  : 
*  We  are  the  servants  of  God,’  this  also  is  confirmed  and  evident,  for 
outwardly  they  have  appeared  with  the  utmost  degree  of  servitude. 
No  one  hath  the  courage  to  appear  in  the  world  with  that  manner  of 
servitude. 

“  Thus  those  Essences  of  Existence,  when  submerged  in  the  seas  of 
Eternal  Holiness  and  when  ascending  to  the  summits  of  the  significances 
of  the  Ideal  King,  uttered  declarations  of  Unity  and  Deity.  Were  one 
to  consider  attentively  he  will  find  that  even  in  this  state  they  witnessed 
in  themselves  the  utmost  humility  and  lowliness  in  presence  of  the  Absolute 
Existence  and  Real  Life  as  though  accounting  themselves  utterly  non¬ 
existent  and  deeming  mention  of  themselves  in  that  court  as  polytheism. . .  . 

“  Therefore,  whatever  they  may  say  and  claim,  including  Divinity, 
Deity,  Prophetbood,  Messengership,  Successorship,  Imamat  or  Servi¬ 
tude  is  true  and  without  doubt.” — Book  of  Igkan,  pp.  1 25-1 29. 

When  Baha’u’llah  speaks  as  a  man,  the  station  he  claims  for 
himself  is  that  of  utter  humility,  of  “  annihilation  in  God.”  What 
distinguishes  the  “  Manifestation,”  in  his  human  personality, 
from  other  men  is  the  completeness  of  his  self-abnegation  as  well 
as  the  perfection  of  his  powers.  Under  all  circumstances  he  is 
able  to  say,  as  did  Jesus  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  “  Neverthe¬ 
less  not  my  will  but  Thine  be  done.”  Thus  in  his  epistle  to  the 
Shah,  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  O  King,  verily  I  was  as  anyone  among  mankind,  slumbering  upon 
my  couch.  The  gales  of  the  All-Glorious  passed  by  me  and  taught 
me  the  knowledge  of  what  hath  been.  This  thing  is  not  from  me,  but 
from  One  who  is  Mighty  and  All-knowing.  And  He  bade  me  proclaim 
between  the  earth  and  the  heaven,  and  for  this  there  hath  befallen  me 
that  whereat  the  eyes  of  those  who  know  overflow  with  tears.*  I  have  not 
studied  those  sciences  which  men  possess,  nor  have  I  entered  the  col¬ 
leges.  .  .  .  This  is  a  leaf  which  the  breezes  of  the  Will  of  thy  Lord 
the  Mighty  have  stirred.  Can  it  be  still  when  the  rushing  winds  blow  ? 
No,  by  the  Lord  of  the  Names  and  Attributes !  Rather  do  they  move 
it  as  they  list,  for  Being  belongeth  not  to  nonentity  in  presence  of  the 
Eternal.  His  decisive  command  did  come,  causing  me  to  speak  for 
His  Celebration  amidst  the  worlds.  Verily  I  was  not  save  as  one  dead 
in  presence  of  His  Command,  the  hand  of  thy  Lord,  the  Merciful, 
the  Clement,  turning  me.  Can  anyone  speak  on  his  own  part 
that  for  which  all  men,  whether  high  or  low,  will  persecute  him  ?  No, 
by  Him  who  taught  the  Pen  eternal  mysteries,  save  him  who  is  strengthened 
by  one  Mighty  and  Strong.” — Episode  of  the  Bsb,  p.  395. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  47 

As  Jesus  washed  his  disciples’  feet,  so  Baha’u’llah  used  sometimes 
to  cook  food  and  perform  other  lowly  offices  for  his  followers, 
He  was  a  servant  of  the  servants,  and  gloried  only  in  servitude, 
content  to  sleep  on  a  bare  floor  if  need  be,  to  live  on  bread  and 
water,  or  even,  at  times,  on  what  he  called  “  the  divine  nourish¬ 
ment,  that  is  to  say,  hunger  !  ”  His  perfect  humility  was  seen 
in  his  profound  reverence  for  nature,  for  human  nature,  and 
especially  for  the  saints,  prophets  and  martyrs.  To  him,  all  things 
spoke  of  God,  from  the  meanest  to  the  greatest. 

His  human  personality  had  been  chosen  by  God  to  become  the 
Divine  Mouthpiece  and  Pen.  It  was  not  of  his  own  will 
that  he  had  assumed  this  position  of  unparalleled  difficulty 
and  hardship.  As  Jesus  said  :  “  Father,  if  it  be  possible, 
let  this  cup  pass  from  Me,”  so  Baha’u’llah  said  :  “  Had 
another  exponent  or  speaker  been  found,  we  would  not  have 
made  ourself  an  object  of  censure,  derision  and  calumnies  on  the 
part  of  the  people  ”  ( Tablet  of  lshraqat).  But  the  divine 

call  was  clear  and  imperative  and  he  obeyed.  God’s  will  became 
his  will,  and  God’s  pleasure,  his  pleasure  ;  and  with  “  radiant 
acquiescence  ”  he  declared  : — 

“  In  truth  I  say,  whatsoever  befalleth  in  the  Pathway  of  the  Lord 
is  the  well-beloved  of  the  soul  and  the  desire  of  the  heart.  Deadly 
venom,  in  His  Path,  is  but  sweetness  itself,  and  torment,  in  His  Name, 
but  cool  and  refreshing  water  ”  (see  Epitre  au  Fils  du  Loup ,  p.  17). 

At  other  times,  as  we  have  mentioned,  Baha’u’llah  speaks 
“  from  the  station  of  Deity.”  In  these  utterances  his  human 
personality  is  so  completely  subservient  that  it  is  left  out  of  ac¬ 
count  altogether.  Through  him  God  addresses  His  creatures, 
proclaiming  His  love  for  them,  teaching  them  His  attributes, 
making  known  His  will,  announcing  His  Laws  for  their  guidance 
and  pleading  for  their  love,  their  allegiance  and  service 

In  the  writings  of  Baha’u’llah,  the  utterance  frequently  changes 
from  one  of  these  forms  to  another.  Sometimes  it  is  evidently 
the  man  who  is  discoursing,  then  without  a  break  the  writing 
continues  as  if  God  were  speaking  in  the  first  person.  Even 
when  speaking  as  a  man,  however,  Baha’u’llah  speaks  as  God’s 
messenger,  as  a  living  example  of  entire  devotion  to  God’s  will. 


48  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

His  whole  life  is  actuated  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  no  hard 
and  fast  line  can  be  drawn  between  the  human  and  divine  elements 
in  his  life  or  teachings.  God  tells  him  : — 

“  Say  :  ‘  Naught  is  seen  in  my  temple  but  the  Temple  of  God,  and  in 
my  beauty  but  His  Beauty,  and  in  my  being  but  His  Being,  and  in  myself 
but  Himself,  and  in  my  movement  but  His  Movement,  and  in  my  acquies¬ 
cence  but  His  Acquiescence,  and  in  my  pen  but  His  Pen,  the  Precious, 
the  Extolled.’ 

“  Say  :  ‘  There  hath  not  been  in  my  soul  but  the  Truth,  and  in  myself 
naught  could  be  seen  but  God.’  ” — Suraiu’/-Hayka/,  p.  30. 

His  Mission. 

Baha’u’llah’s  mission  in  the  world  is  to  bring  about  Unity — 
Unity  of  all  mankind  in  and  through  God.  He  says  : — 

“  Of  the  Tree  of  Knowledge  the  All-glorious  fruit  is  this  exalted 
word  :  Of  One  Tree  are  all  ye  the  fruits  and  of  One  Bough  the  leaves. 
Let  not  man  glory  in  this  that  he  loves  his  country,  but  let  him  rather 
glory  in  this  that  he  loves  his  kind.” 

Previous  prophets  have  heralded  an  age  of  peace  on  earth, 
goodwill  among  men,  and  have  given  their  lives  to  hasten  its 
advent,  but  each  and  all  of  them  have  plainly  declared  that  this 
blessed  consummation  would  be  reached  only  after  the  “  Coming 
of  the  Lord  ”  in  the  latter  days,  when  the  wicked  would  be  judged 
and  the  righteous  rewarded. 

Zoroaster  foretold  three  thousand  years  of  conflict  before  the 
advent  of  Shah  Bahram,  the  world-saviour,  who  would  over¬ 
come  Ahriman,  the  spirit  of  evil,  and  establish  a  reign  of  righteous¬ 
ness  and  peace. 

Moses  foretold  a  long  period  of  exile,  persecution  and  oppression 
for  the  children  of  Israel,  before  the  Lord  of  Hosts  would  appear 
to  gather  them  from  all  the  nations,  to  destroy  the  oppressors  and 
establish  His  Kingdom  upon  earth. 

Christ  said  :  “  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  upon 
earth  :  I  came  not  to  send  peace  but  a  sword  ”  (Matt.  x.  34), 
and  he  predicted  a  period  of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars,  of  tribula¬ 
tions  and  afflictions  that  would  continue  till  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man  “in  the  Glory  of  the  Father.” 

Muhammad  declared  that,  because  of  their  wrongdoings, 
Allah  had  put  enmity  and  hatred  among  both  Jews  and  Christians 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  49 

that  would  last  until  the  Day  of  Resurrection,  when  He  would 
appear  to  judge  them  all. 

Baha’u’llah,  on  the  other  hand,  announces  that  he  is  the  Promised 
One  of  all  these  Prophets — the  Divine  Manifestation  in  whose 
era  the  reign  of  peace  will  actually  be  established.  This  state¬ 
ment  is  unprecedented  and  unique,  yet  it  fits  in  wonderfully  with 
the  signs  of  the  times,  and  with  the  prophecies  of  all  the  great 
prophets.  Baha’u’llah  revealed  with  incomparable  clearness  and 
comprehensiveness  the  means  for  bringing  about  peace  and  unity 
amongst  mankind. 

It  is  true  that,  since  the  advent  of  Baha’u’hah,  there  have  been, 
until  now,  war  and  destruction  on  an  unprecedented  scale,  but  this 
is  just  what  all  the  prophets  have  said  would  happen  at  the  dawn 
of  the  “  great  and  terrible  Day  of  the  Lord,”  and  is,  therefore, 
but  a  confirmation  of  the  view  that  the  “  Coming  of  the  Lord  ” 
is  not  only  at  hand,  but  is  already  an  accomplished  fact.  According 
to  the  parable  of  Christ,  the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard  must  miserably 
destroy  the  wicked  husbandmen  before  He  gives  the  Vineyard  to 
others  who  will  render  Him  the  fruits  in  their  seasons.  Does  not 
this  mean  that  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord  dire  destruction  awaits 
those  despotic  governments,  avaricious  and  intolerant  priests,  mullas, 
or  tyrannical  leaders  who  through  the  centuries  have,  like  wicked 
husbandmen,  misruled  the  earth  and  misappropriated  its  fruits  ? 

There  may  be  terrible  events,  and  unparalleled  calamities  yet 
awhile  on  the  earth,  but  Baha’u’llah  assures  us  “  that  ere  long, 
these  fruitless  strifes,  these  ruinous  wars  shall  pass  away  and  the 
Most  Great  Peace  shall  come.”  War  and  strife  have  become 
so  intolerable  in  their  destructiveness  that  mankind  must  find 
deliverance  from  them  or  perish. 

“  The  fulness  of  time  ”  has  come  and  with  it  the  Promised 
Deliverer  ! 

His  Writings. 

The  writings  of  Baha’u’llah  are  most  comprehensive  in  their 
range,  dealing  with  every  phase  of  human  life,  individual  and 
social,  with  things  material  and  things  spiritual,  with  the  interpreta¬ 
tion  of  ancient  and  modern  scriptures,  and  with  prophetic  anticipa¬ 
tions  of  both  the  near  and  distant  future. 

4 


50 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


The  range  and  accuracy  of  his  knowledge  was  amazing.  He 
could  quote  and  expound  the  Scriptures  of  the  various  religions 
with  which  his  correspondents  or  questioners  were  familiar, 
in  convincing  and  authoritative  manner,  although  apparently 
he  had  never  had  the  ordinary  means  of  access  to  many  of  the  books 
referred  to.  He  declares,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Son  of  the  Wolf , 
that  he  had  never  had  time  or  opportunity  even  to  read  the  writings 
of  the  Bab,  although  in  his  own  writings  he  shows  the  most  perfect 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  Bab’s  Revelation.  (The 
Bab,  as  we  have  seen,  declared  that  His  Revelation,  the  Bayan,  was 
inspired  by  and  emanated  from  “  Him  whom  God  shall  make 
Manifest  ”  !)  With  the  single  exception  of  a  visit  from  Professor 
Browne,  with  whom  in  the  year  1890  he  had  four  interviews, 
each  lasting  twenty  to  thirty  minutes,  he  had  no  opportunities  of 
intercourse  with  enlightened  Western  thinkers,  yet  his  writings 
show  a  marvellous  grasp  of  the  social,  political  and  religious 
problems  of  the  Western  world,  and  even  his  enemies  had  to  admit 
that  his  wisdom  and  knowledge  were  incomparable.  The  well- 
known  circumstances  of  his  long  imprisonment  render  it  impossible 
to  doubt  that  much  of  the  wealth  of  knowledge  shown  in  his 
writings  must  have  been  acquired  from  some  spiritual  source, 
quite  independent  of  the  usual  means  of  study  or  instruction  and 
the  help  of  books  or  teachers.1 

Sometimes  he  wrote  in  modern  Persian,  the  ordinary  language 
of  his  fellow-countrymen,  which  is  largely  admixed  with  Arabic 
At  other  times,  as  when  addressing  learned  Zoroastrians,  he  wrote 
in  the  purest  classical  Persian.  He  also  wrote  with  equal  fluency 
in  Arabic,  sometimes  in  very  simple  language,  sometimes  in  classical 
style  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  Qur’an.  His  perfect  mastery 
of  these  different  languages  and  styles  was  remarkable  because  of 
his  entire  lack  of  literary  education. 

In  some  of  his  writings  the  way  of  holiness  is  pointed  out  in 
such  simple  terms  that  “  the  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  shall 

1  When  asked  whether  Baha’u’llah  had  made  a  special  study  of  Western 
writings  and  founded  his  teachings  in  accordance  with  them  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
said  that  the  books  of  Baha’u’llah,  written  and  printed  sixty  years  ago , 
contained  the  ideals  now  so  familiar  to  the  West,  although  at  that  time  these 
ideas  had  not  been  printed  or  thought  of  in  the  West. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  :  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  51 

not  err  therein  ”  (Isaiah  xxxv.  8).  In  others  there  is  a  wealth  of 
poetic  imagery,  profound  philosophy  and  allusions  to  Muhammadan, 
Zoroastrian  and  other  scriptures,  or  to  Persian  and  Arabic  literature 
and  legends,  such  as  only  the  poet,  the  philosopher  or  the  scholar 
can  adequately  appreciate.  Still  others  deal  with  advanced  stages 
of  the  spiritual  life  and  are  to  be  understood  only  by  those  who 
have  already  passed  through  the  earlier  stages.  His  works  are 
like  a  bountiful  table  provided  with  foods  and  delicacies  suited  to 
the  needs  and  tastes  of  all  who  are  genuine  truth-seekers. 

It  is  because  of  this  that  His  Cause  had  effect  among  the  learned 
and  cultured,  spiritual  poets  and  well-known  writers.  Even  some 
of  the  leaders  of  the  Sufis  and  of  other  sects,  and  some  of  the 
political  ministers  who  were  writers,  were  attracted  by  his  words, 
for  they  exceeded  those  of  all  other  writers  in  sweetness  and 
depth  of  spiritual  meaning. 

The  Baha’i  Spirit. 

From  his  place  of  confinement  in  distant  ‘Akka,  Baha’u’llah 
stirred  his  native  land  of  Persia  to  its  depths  ;  and  not  only  Persia  ; 
he  stirred  and  is  stirring  the  world.  The  spirit  that  animated 
him  and  his  followers  was  unfailingly  gentle,  courteous  and  patient, 
yet  it  was  a  force  of  astonishing  vitality  and  transcendent  power. 
It  achieved  the  seemingly  impossible.  It  changed  human  nature. 
Men  who  yielded  to  its  influence  became  new  creatures.  They 
were  filled  with  a  love,  a  faith,  and  enthusiasm,  compared  with 
which  earthly  joys  and  sorrows  were  but  as  dust  in  the  balance. 
They  were  ready  to  face  life-long  suffering  or  violent  death  with 
perfect  equanimity,  nay,  with  radiant  joy,  in  the  strength  of  fearless 
dependence  on  God. 

Most  wonderful  of  all,  their  hearts  were  so  brimming  over  with 
the  joy  of  a  new  life  as  to  leave  no  room  for  thoughts  of  bitterness 
or  vindictiveness  against  their  oppressors.  They  entirely 
abandoned  the  use  of  violence  in  self-defence,  and  instead  of 
bemoaning  their  fate,  they  considered  themselves  the  most  fortunate 
of  men  in  being  privileged  to  receive  this  new  and  glorious  Revela¬ 
tion  and  to  spend  their  lives  or  shed  their  blood  in  testifying  to  its 
truth.  Well  might  their  hearts  sing  with  joy,  for  they  believed  that 
God  the  Supreme,  the  Eternal,  the  Beloved,  had  spoken  to  them 


52 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


through  human  lips,  had  called  them  to  be  His  servants  and  friends, 
had  come  to  establish  His  Kingdom  upon  earth,  and  to  bring  the 
priceless  boon  of  Peace  to  a  war-worn,  strife-stricken  world. 

Such  was  the  faith  inspired  by  Baha’u’llah.  He  announced 
his  own  mission,  as  the  Bab  foretold  that  he  would,  and,  thanks 
to  the  devoted  labours  of  his  great  Forerunner,  there  were 
thousands  ready  to  acclaim  his  Advent — thousands  who  had  shaken 
off  superstitions  and  prejudices,  and  were  waiting  with  pure  hearts 
and  open  minds  for  the  Manifestation  of  God’s  Promised  Glory. 
Poverty  and  chains,  sordid  circumstances  and  outward  ignominy 
could  not  hide  from  them  the  Spiritual  Glory  of  their  Lord — nay, 
these  dark  earthly  surroundings  only  served  to  enhance  the  brilliance 
of  his  real  Splendour. 


CHAPTER  IV 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA 

'*  When  the  Ocean  of  My  Presence  hath  ebbed  and  the  Book  of  My  Revela¬ 
tion  hath  been  completed,  turn  your  faces  towards  Him  whom  God  hath 
purposed,  who  hath  branched  from  this  Ancient  Root.” — Baha’u’llah. 

Birth  and  Childhood. 

‘Abbas  Effendi,  who  afterwards  assumed  the  title  of  ‘Abdu’l 
Baha  (i.e.  Servant  of  Baha),  was  the  eldest  son  of  Baha’u’llah. 
He  was  born  in  Tihran  shortly  before  midnight  on  the  23rd  May, 
1844,1  in  the  very  same  hour  in  which  the  Bab  declared  his 
mission. 

He  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  father,  to  whom  even  then 
he  was  devotedly  attached,  was  thrown  into  the  dungeon  in 
Tihran.  A  mob  sacked  their  house,  and  the  family  were  stripped 
of  their  possessions  and  left  in  destitution.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  tells 
how  one  day  he  was  allowed  to  enter  the  prison  yard  to  see  his 
beloved  father  when  he  came  out  for  his  daily  exercise. 
Baha’u’llah  was  terribly  altered,  so  ill  he  could  hardly  walk,  his 
hair  and  beard  unkempt,  his  neck  galled  and  swollen  from  the 
pressure  of  a  heavy  steel  collar,  his  body  bent  by  the  weight  of  his 
chains,  and  the  sight  made  a  never-to-be-forgotten  impression  on 
the  mind  of  the  sensitive  boy. 

During  the  first  year  of  their  residence  in  Baghdad,  ten  years 
before  the  open  declaration  by  Baha’u’llah  of  his  Mission,  the 
keen  insight  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  who  was  then  but  nine  years  of 
age,  already  led  him  to  the  momentous  discovery  that  his  father 
was  indeed  the  Promised  One  whose  Manifestation  all  the  Babis 
were  awaiting.  Some  sixty  years  afterwards  he  thus  described  the 

1  Thursday,  5th  Jumada  I,  1260  A.H. 

53 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


54 

moment  in  which  this  conviction  suddenly  overwhelmed  his  whole 
nature  : — 

“  I  am  the  servant  of  the  Blessed  Perfection.  In  Baghdad  I  was  a 
child.  Then  and  there  He  announced  to  me  the  Word,  and  I  believed 
in  Him.  As  soon  as  He  proclaimed  to  me  the  Word,  I  threw  myself 
at  His  Holy  Feet  and  implored  and  supplicated  Him  to  accept  my  blood 
as  a  sacrifice  in  His  Pathway.  Sacrifice  !  How  sweet  I  find  that  word  ! 
There  is  no  greater  Bounty  for  me  than  this  !  What  greater  glory  can 
I  conceive  than  to  see  this  neck  chained  for  His  sake,  these  feet  fettered 
for  His  love,  this  body  mutilated  or  thrown  into  the  depths  of  the  sea 
for  His  Cause  !  If  in  reality  we  are  His  sincere  lovers — if  in  reality 
I  am  His  sincere  servant,  then  I  must  sacrifice  my  life,  my  all  at  His 
Blessed  Threshold.” — Diary  of  Mirxa  Ahmad.  Sokrab ,  January  1914* 

About  this  time  he  began  to  be  called  by  his  friends  “  The 
Mystery  of  God,”  a  title  given  to  him  by  Baha’u’llah,  by  which 
he  was  commonly  known  during  the  period  of  residence  in 
Baghdad. 

When  his  father  went  away  for  two  years  into  the  wilderness, 
‘Abbas  was  heart-broken.  His  chief  consolation  consisted  in 
copying  and  committing  to  memory  the  Tablets  of  the  Bab, 
and  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  solitary  meditation.  When 
at  last  his  father  returned,  the  boy  was  overwhelmed  with  joy. 

Youth. 

From  that  time  onwards,  he  became  his  father’s  closest 
companion  and,  as  it  were,  protector.  Although  a  mere  youth, 
he  already  showed  astonishing  sagacity  and  discrimination,  and 
undertook  the  task  of  interviewing  all  the  numerous  visitors  who 
came  to  see  his  father.  If  he  found  they  were  genuine  truth- 
seekers,  he  admitted  them  to  his  father’s  presence,  but  otherwise 
he  did  not  permit  them  to  trouble  Baha’u’llah.  On  many  occasions 
he  helped  his  father  in  answering  the  questions  and  solving  the 
difficulties  of  these  visitors.  For  example,  when  one  of  the  Sufi 
leaders,  named  ‘All  Shawkat  Pasha,  asked  for  an  explanation  of 
the  phrase  :  “  I  was  a  Hidden  Mystery,”  which  occurs  in  a  well- 
known  Muhammadan  tradition,1  Baha’u’llah  turned  to  the 

1  The  tradition  is  quoted  in  a  tablet  of  Baha’u’llah ;  see  Chapter  V,  p.  73 
of  this  book. 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAH  A  55 

“  Mystery  of  God,”  ‘Abbas,  and  asked  him  to  write  the  explana¬ 
tion.  The  boy,  who  was  then  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of 
age,  at  once  wrote  an  important  epistle  giving  an  exposition  so 
illuminating  as  to  astonish  the  Pasha.  This  epistle  is  now  widely 
spread  among  the  Baha’is,  and  is  well  known  to  many  outside  the 
Baha’i  faith. 

About  this  time  ‘Abbas  was  a  frequent  visitor  to  the  mosques, 
where  he  would  discuss  theological  matters  with  the  doctors  and 
learned  men.  He  never  attended  any  school  or  college,  his  only 
teacher  being  his  father.  His  favourite  recreation  was  horse¬ 
back  riding,  which  he  keenly  enjoyed. 

After  Baha’u’llah’s  Declaration  in  the  Garden  outside  Baghdad, 
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s  devotion  to  his  father  became  greater  than  ever. 
On  the  long  journey  to  Constantinople  he  guarded  Baha’u’llah 
night  and  day,  riding  by  his  waggon  and  watching  near  his  tent. 
As  far  as  possible  he  relieved  his  father  of  all  domestic  cares  and 
responsibilities,  becoming  the  mainstay  and  comfort  of  the  entire 

During  the  years  spent  in  Adrianople,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  endeared 
himself  to  every  one.  He  taught  much,  and  became  generally 
known  as  the  “  Master.”  At  ‘Akka,  when  nearly  all  the  party 
were  ill  with  typhoid,  malaria,  and  dysentery,  he  washed  the 
patients,  nursed  them,  fed  them,  watched  with  them,  taking  no 
rest,  until,  utterly  exhausted,  he  himself  took  dysentery,  and  for 
about  a  month  remained  in  a  dangerous  condition.  In  ‘Akka, 
as  in  Adrianople,  all  classes,  from  the  Governor  to  the  most 
wretched  beggar,  learned  to  love  and  respect  him. 

Marriage. 

The  following  particulars  regarding  the  marriage  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  were  kindly  supplied  to  the  writer  by  Jinab-i-Avarih,  the 
Persian  historian  of  the  Baha’i  Movement  : — 

“  During  the  youth  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  the  question  of  a  suitable  mar¬ 
riage  for  him  was  naturally  one  of  great  interest  to  the  believers,  and 
many  people  came  forward,  wishing  to  have  this  crown  of  honour  for 
their  own  family.  For  a  long  time,  however,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  showed 
no  inclination  for  marriage,  and  no  one  understood  the  wisdom  of  this. 
Afterwards  it  became  known  that  there  was  a  girl  who  was  destined 


56  BAHA'U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

to  become  the  wife  of  ‘Abdu’l-Bah2,  one  whose  birth  came  about  through 
the  Blessing  which  the  Bab  gave  to  her  parents  in  Isfahan.  Her  father 
was  Mirza  Muhammad  ‘All,  who  was  the  uncle  of  the  ‘  King  of  Martyrs  * 
and  the  ‘  Beloved  of  Martyrs/  and  she  belonged  to  one  of  the  great  and 
noble  families  of  Isfahan.  When  the  Bab  was  in  Isfahan,  Mlrza 
Muhammad  ‘All  had  no  children,  but  his  wife  was  longing  for  a  child. 
On  hearing  of  this,  the  Bab  gave  him  an  apple  and  told  him  to  share 
it  with  his  wife.  After  they  had  eaten  of  that  apple,  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  their  long-cherished  hopes  of  parenthood  were  about  to 
be  fulfilled,  and  in  due  course  a  daughter  was  bom- to  them,  who  was 
given  the  name  of  Munirih  Khanum.1  Later  on  a  son  was  bom,  to 
whom  they  gave  the  name  of  Sayyid  Yahya,  and  afterwards  they  had  some 
other  children.  After  a  time  Munirih’s  father  died,  her  cousins  were 
martyred  by  Zillu’s-Sultan  and  the  mullas,  and  the  family  fell  into 
great  troubles  and  bitter  persecutions  because  of  their  being  Baha’is. 
Baha’u’llah  then  permitted  Munirih  and  her  brother  Sayyid  Yafrya 
to  come  to  ‘Akk2  for  protection.  Baha’u’llah  and  his  wife,  Nawwab, 
the  mother  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  showed  such  kindness  and  favour  to 
Munirih  that  others  understood  that  they  wished  her  to  become  the 
wife  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha.  The  wish  of  his  father  and  mother  became 
the  wish  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  too.  He  had  a  warm  feeling  of  love  and  affec¬ 
tion  for  Munirih  which  was  fully  reciprocated,  and  ere  long  they  became 
united  in  marriage.” 

The  marriage  proved  exceedingly  happy  and  harmonious. 
Of  the  children  born  to  them  four  daughters  have  survived  the 
rigours  of  their  long  imprisonment,  and,  through  their  beautiful 
lives  of  service,  have  endeared  themselves  to  all  who  have  been 
privileged  to  know  them. 

Centre  of  the  Covenant. 

Baha’u’llah  indicated  in  many  ways  that  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  was  to 
be  his  successor.  Many  years  before  his  death  he  declared  this 
in  a  veiled  manner  in  his  Kitabii  l-Aqdas.  He  referred  to  ‘  Abdu’l- 
Baha  on  many  occasions  as  “  The  Centre  of  my  Covenant,” 
“  The  Most  Great  Branch,”  “  The  Branch  from  the  Ancient 
Root.”  He  habitually  spoke  of  him  as  “  The  Master  ”  and 
required  all  his  family  to  treat  him  with  marked  deference  ;  and 
in  his  Will  and  Testament  he  left  explicit  instructions  that  all 
should  turn  to  him  and  obey  him. 

1  It  is  interesting  to  compare  this  story  with  that  of  the  birth  of  John  the 
Baptist ;  see  St.  Luke’s  Gospel,  Chapter  I. 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  57 

After  the  death  of  the  “  Blessed  Beauty  ”  (as  Baha’u’llah  was 
generally  called  by  his  family  and  believers)  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  assumed 
the  position  which  his  father  had  clearly  indicated  for  him  as  head 
of  the  movement  and  authoritative  interpreter  of  the  teachings, 
but  this  was  resented  by  certain  of  his  relatives  and  others,  who 
became  as  bitterly  opposed  to  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  as  Subh-i-Azal  had 
been  to  Baha’u’llah.  They  tried  to  stir  up  dissensions  among  the 
believers,  and,  failing  in  that,  proceeded  to  make  various  false 
charges  against  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  to  the  Turkish  Government. 

In  accordance  with  instructions  received  from  his  father, 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  was  erecting  a  building  on  the  side  of  Mount 
Carmel,  above  Haifa,  which  was  intended  to  be  the  permanent 
resting-place  of  the  remains  of  the  Bab,  and  also  to  contain  a 
number  of  rooms  for  meetings  and  services.  They  represented 
to  the  authorities  that  this  building  was  intended  as  a  fort,  and  that 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  and  his  followers  meant  to  entrench  themselves 
there,  defy  the  Government,  and  endeavour  to  gain  possession 
of  the  neighbouring  region  of  Syria. 

Strict  Imprisonment  Renewed. 

In  consequence  of  this  and  other  equally  unfounded  charges, 
in  1901,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  and  his  family,  who  for  more  than  twenty 
years  had  been  allowed  the  freedom  of  the  country  for  some  miles 
around  ‘Akka,  were  again,  for  over  seven  years,  strictly  confined 
within  the  walls  of  the  prison  city.  This  did  not  prevent  him, 
however,  from  effectively  spreading  the  Baha’i  message  through 
Asia,  Europe  and  America.  Mr.  Horace  Holley  writes  of  this 
period  as  follows  : — 

“To  Abdul  Baha,  as  a  teacher  and  friend,  came  men  and  women 
from  every  race,  religion  and  nation,  to  sit  at  his  table  like  favoured  guests, 
questioning  him  about  the  social,  spiritual  or  moral  programme  each  had 
most  at  heart ;  and  after  a  stay  lasting  from  a  few  hours  to  many  months, 
returning  home,  inspired,  renewed  and  enlightened.  The  world  surely 
never  possessed  such  a  guest-house  as  this. 

“  Within  its  doors  the  rigid  castes  of  India  melted  away,  the  racial 
prejudice  of  Jew,  Christian  and  Muhammadan  became  less  than  a 
memory ;  and  every  convention  save  the  essential  law  of  warm  hearts 
and  aspiring  minds  broke  down,  banned  and  forbidden  by  the  unifying 
sympathy  of  the  master  of  the  house.  It  was  like  a  King  Arthur  and 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


58 

the  Round  Table  .  .  .  but  an  Arthur  who  knighted  women  as  well 
as  men,  and  sent  them  away  not  with  the  sword  but  with  the  Word.” 
— The  Modern  Social  Religion ,  Horace  Holley,  p.  17 1. 

During  these  years  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  carried  on  an  enormous 
correspondence  with  believers  and  enquirers  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  In  this  work  he  was  greatly  assisted  by  his  daughters 
and  also  by  several  interpreters  and  secretaries. 

Much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  visiting  the  sick  and  the  afflicted 
in  their  own  homes  ;  and  in  the  poorest  quarters  of  ‘Akka  no 
visitor  was  more  welcome  than  the  “  Master.”  A  pilgrim  who 
visited  ‘Akka  at  this  time  writes  : — 

“  It  is  the  custom  of  Abdul  Baha  each  week,  on  Friday  morning,  to 
distribute  alms  to  the  poor.  From  his  own  scanty  store  he  gives  a  little 
to  each  one  of  the  needy  who  come  to  ask  assistance.  This  morning 
about  one  hundred  were  ranged  in  line,  seated  and  crouching  upon  the 
ground  in  the  open  street  of  the  court  where  Abdul  Baha’s  house  stands. 
And  such  a  nondescript  collection  of  humanity  they  were.  All  kinds 
of  men,  women  and  children — poor,  wretched,  hopeless  in  aspect,  half- 
clothed,  many  of  them  crippled  and  blind,  beggars  indeed,  poor  beyond 
expression — waiting  expectant — until  from  the  doorway  came  Abdul 
Baha.  .  .  .  Quickly  moving  from  one  to  another,  stopping  sometimes 
to  leave  a  word  of  sympathy  and  encouragement,  dropping  small  coins 
into  each  eager  outstretched  palm,  touching  the  face  of  a  child,  taking 
the  hand  of  an  old  woman  who  held  fast  to  the  hem  of  his  garment  as 
he  passed  along,  speaking  words  of  light  to  old  men  with  sightless  eyes, 
enquiring  after  those  too  feeble  and  wretched  to  come  for  their  pittance 
of  help,  and  sending  them  their  portion  with  a  message  of  love  and  uplift.” 
— Glimpses  of  Abdul  Baha ,  M.J.M.,  p.  13. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s  personal  wants  were  few.  He  worked  late 
and  early:  Two  simple  meals  a  day  sufficed  him.  His  ward¬ 
robe  consisted  of  a  very  few  garments  of  inexpensive  material. 
He  could  not  bear  to  live  in  luxury  while  others  were  in  want. 

He  had  a  great  love  for  children,  for  flowers,  and  for  the  beauties 
of  nature.  Every  morning  about  six  or  seven,  the  family  party 
used  to  gather  to  partake  of  morning  tea  together,  and  while  the 
Master  sipped  his  tea,  the  little  children  of  the  household  chanted 
prayers.  Mr.  Thornton  Chase  writes  of  these  children  : — 

“  Such  children  I  have  never  seen,  so  courteous,  unselfish,  thoughtful 
for  others,  unobtrusive,  intelligent,  and  swiftly  self-denying  in  the  little 
things  that  children  love.” — In  Galilee ,  p.  51. 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  59 

The  “  ministry  of  flowers  ”  was  a  feature  of  the  life  at  ‘Akka, 
of  which  every  pilgrim  brought  away  fragrant  memories. 
Mrs.  Lucas  writes  : — 

“  When  the  Master  inhales  the  odour  of  flowers,  it  is  wonderful  to 
see  him.  It  seems  as  though  the  perfume  of  the  hyacinths  were  telling 
him  something,  as  he  buries  his  face  in  the  flowers.  It  is  like  the  effort 
of  the  ear  to  hear  a  beautiful  harmony — a  concentrated  attention.” — 
A  Brief  Account  of  My  Visit  to  Acca ,  p.  26. 

He  loved  to  present  beautiful  and  sweet-smelling  flowers  to 
his  numerous  visitors. 

Mr.  Thornton  Chase  sums  up  his  impression  of  the  prison 
life  at  ‘Akka  as  follows  : — 

“  Five  days  we  remained  within  those  walls,  prisoners  with  Him 
who  dwells  in  that  ‘  Greatest  Prison/  It  is  a  prison  of  peace,  of  love 
and  service.  No  wish,  no  desire  is  there  save  the  good  of  mankind, 
the  peace  of  the  world,  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God 
and  the  mutual  rights  of  men  as  His  creatures,  His  children.  Indeed, 
the  real  prison,  the  suffocating  atmosphere,  the  separation  from  all  true 
heart  desires,  the  bond  of  world  conditions,  is  outside  of  those  stone 
walls,  while  within  them  is  the  freedom  and  pure  aura  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  All  troubles,  tumults,  worries  or  anxieties  for  worldly  things  are 
barred  out  there.” — In  Galilee ,  p.  24. 

To  most  people  the  hardships  of  prison  life  would  appear  as 
grievous  calamities,  but  for  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  they  had  no  terrors. 
When  in  prison  he  wrote  : — 

“  Grieve  not  because  of  my  imprisonment  and  calamity ;  for  this 
prison  is  my  beautiful  garden,  my  mansioned  paradise  and  my  throne 
of  dominion  among  mankind.  My  calamity  in  my  prison  is  a  crown  to 
me  in  which  I  glory  among  the  righteous.” 

“  Anyone  can  be  happy  in  the  state  of  comfort,  ease,  success,  health, 
pleasure  and  joy ;  but  if  one  be  happy  and  contented  in  the  time  of 
trouble,  hardship  and  prevailing  disease,  that  is  the  proof  of  nobility.” 
— Tablets  of  Abdul  Baha,  vol.  ii.  pp.  258,  263. 

Turkish  Commissions  of  Investigation. 

In  1904  and  1907  commissions  were  appointed  by  the  Turkish 
Government  to  enquire  into  the  charges  against  ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 
and  lying  witnesses  gave  evidence  against  him.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 
while  refuting  the  charges,  expressed  his  entire  readiness  to  submit 


6o 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


to  any  sentence  the  tribunal  chose  to  impose.  He  declared  that 
if  they  should  throw  him  into  gaol,  drag  him  through  the  streets, 
curse  him,  spit  upon  him,  stone  him,  heap  upon  him  all  sorts  of 
ignominy,  hang  him  or  shoot  him  he  would  still  be  very  happy. 

Between  the  sittings  of  the  Commissions  of  Investigation 
he  pursued  his  ordinary  life  with  the  utmost  serenity,  planting 
fruit  trees  in  a  garden  and  presiding  at  a  marriage  feast  with  the 
dignity  and  radiance  of  spiritual  freedom.  The  Italian  Consul 
offered  to  provide  him  a  safe  passage  to  any  foreign  port  he  cared 
to  select,  but  this  offer  he  gratefully  but  firmly  refused,  saying  that 
whatever  the  consequences,  he  must  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
Bab  and  the  Blessed  Perfection,  who  never  tried  to  save  themselves 
or  run  away  from  their  enemies.  He  encouraged  most  of  the 
Baha’is,  however,  to  leave  the  neighbourhood  of  ‘Akka,  which 
had  become  very  dangerous  for  them,  and  remained  alone,  with  a 
few  of  the  faithful,  to  await  his  destiny. 

The  four  corrupt  officials  who  constituted  the  last  investigating 
commission  arrived  in  ‘Akka  in  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of 
1907,  stayed  one  month,  and  departed  for  Constantinople,  after 
finishing  their  so-called  “  investigation,”  prepared  to  report  that 
the  charges  against  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  had  been  substantiated  and  to 
recommend  his  exile  or  execution.  No  sooner  had  they  got  back 
to  Turkey,  however,  than  the  Revolution  broke  out  there,  and 
the  four  commissioners,  who  belonged  to  the  old  regime,  had  to 
flee  for  their  lives.  The  Y oung  T urks  established  their  supremacy, 
and  all  political  and  religious  prisoners  in  the  Ottoman  Empire  were 
set  free.  In  September  1908  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  was  released  from 
prison,  and  in  the  following  year  ‘Abdu’l-Hamld,  the  Sultan, 
became  himself  a  prisoner. 

Western  Tours. 

After  his  release,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  continued  the  same  holy  life  of 
ceaseless  activity  in  teaching,  correspondence,  ministering  to  the 
poor  and  the  sick,  with  merely  the  change  from  ‘Akka  to  Haifa 
and  from  Haifa  to  Alexandria,  until  August  1911,  when  he  started 
on  his  first  visit  to  the  Western  world.  During  his  tours  in  the 
West,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  met  men  of  every  shade  of  opinion  and  amply 
fulfilled  the  command  of  Baha’u’llah  to  “  Consort  with  all  the 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  6i 


people  with  joy  and  fragrance.”  He  reached  London  early  in 
September  19 11,  and  spent  a  month  there,  during  which,  besides 
daily  talks  with  enquirers  and  many  other  activities,  he  addressed 
the  congregations  of  the  Rev.  R.  J.  Campbell  at  the  City  Temple, 
and  of  Archdeacon  Wilberforce  at  St.  John’s,  Westminster, 
and  breakfasted  with  the  Lord  Mayor.  He  then  proceeded  to 
Paris,  where  his  time  was  occupied  in  giving  daily  addresses  and 
talks  to  eager  listeners  of  many  nationalities  and  types.  In 
December  he  returned  to  Egypt,  and  next  spring,  in  response  to 
the  earnest  entreaty  of  the  American  friends,  he  proceeded  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  in  New  York  in  April  1912.  During  the 
next  seven  months  he  travelled  through  America,  from  coast  to 
coast,  addressing  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men — University 
students,  Socialists,  Mormons,  Jews,  Christians,  Agnostics, 
Esperantists,  Peace  Societies,  New  Thought  Clubs,  Women’s 
Suffrage  Societies,  and  speaking  in  churches  of  almost  every 
denomination,  in  each  case  giving  addresses  suited  to  the  audience 
and  the  occasion.  On  December  5th  he  sailed  for  Great  Britain, 
where  he  passed  six  weeks,  visiting  Liverpool,  London,  Bristol  and 
Edinburgh.  In  Edinburgh  he  gave  a  notable  address  to  the 
Esperanto  Society,  in  which  he  announced  that  he  had  encouraged 
the  Baha’is  of  the  East  to  study  Esperanto  in  order  to  further  better 
understanding  between  the  East  and  the  West.  After  two  months 
in  Paris,  spent  as  before  in  daily  interviews  and  conferences,  he 
proceeded  to  Stuttgart,  where  he  held  a  series  of  very  successful 
meetings  with  the  German  Baha’is  ;  thence  to  Buda  Pesth  and 
Vienna,  founding  new  groups  in  these  places,  returning,  in 
May  1913,  to  Egypt,  and  on  December  5,  1913,  to  Haifa. 

Return  to  Holy  Land. 

He  was  then  in  his  seventieth  year,  and  his  long  and  arduous 
labours,  culminating  in  these  strenuous  Western  tours,  had  worn 
out  his  physical  frame.  After  his  return  he  wrote  the  following 
pathetic  tablet  to  the  believers  in  East  and  West : — 

“  Friends,  the  time  is  coming  when  I  shall  be  no  longer  with  you. 
I  have  done  all  that  could  be  done.  I  have  served  the  Cause  of  Baha’u’llah 
to  the  utmost  of  my  ability.  I  have  laboured  night  and  day  all  the  years 
of  my  life. 


62 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  O  how  I  long  to  see  the  believers  shouldering  the  responsibilities 
of  the  Cause  !  Now  is  the  time  to  proclaim  the  Kingdom  of  Abha 
(i.e.  The  Most  Glorious  !).  Now  is  the  hour  of  union  and  concord  ! 
Now  is  the  day  of  the  spiritual  harmony  of  the  friends  of  God  !  .  .  . 

“  I  am  straining  my  ears  toward  the  East  and  toward  the  West,  toward 
the  North  and  toward  the  South,  that  haply  I  may  hear  the  songs  of  love 
and  fellowship  raised  in  the  meetings  of  the  believers.  My  days  are 
numbered,  and  save  this  there  remains  none  other  joy  for  me. 

“  O  how  I  yearn  to  see  the  friends  united,  even  as  a  shining  strand  of 
pearls,  as  the  brilliant  Pleiades,  as  the  rays  of  the  sun,  the  gazelles  of  one 
meadow  ! 

“  The  mystic  nightingale  is  singing  for  them  ;  will  they  not  listen  ? 
The  bird  of  Paradise  is  warbling  ;  will  they  not  hear  ?  The  Angel  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Abha  is  calling  to  them  ;  will  they  not  hearken  ?  The 
Messenger  of  the  Covenant  is  pleading  ;  will  they  not  heed  ? 

“  Ah  !  I  am  waiting,  waiting  to  hear  the  glad  news  that  the  believers 
are  the  embodiment  of  sincerity  and  loyalty,  the  incarnation  of  love  and 
amity  and  the  manifestation  of  unity  and  concord  ! 

“  Will  they  not  rejoice  my  heart  ?  Will  they  not  satisfy  my  yearnings  ? 
Will  they  not  heed  my  pleadings  ?  Will  they  not  fulfil  my  hopes  ? 
Will  they  not  answer  my  call  ? 

“  I  am  waiting,  I  am  patiently  waiting !  ” — Diary  of  Mirza  Ahmad 
Sohrab,  April  2,  1914. 

The  enemies  of  the  Baha’i  Cause,  whose  hopes  had  risen  high 
when  the  Bab  fell  a  victim  to  their  fury,  when  Baha’u’llah  was 
driven  from  his  native  land  and  made  a  prisoner  for  life,  and  again 
at  the  passing  of  Baha’u’llah — these  enemies  once  more  took  heart 
when  they  saw  the  physical  weakness  and  weariness  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  after  his  return  from  his  Western  travels.  But  again  their 
hopes  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  In  a  short  time  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  was  able  to  write  : — 

“  Unquestionably  this  physical  body  and  human  energy  would  have 
been  unable  to  stand  the  constant  wear  and  tear  .  .  .  but  the  aid  and  help 
of  the  Desired  One  were  the  Guardian  and  Protector  of  the  weak  and 
humble  ‘Abdu’l-Baha.  .  .  .  Some  have  asserted  that  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
is  on  the  eve  of  bidding  his  last  farewell  to  the  world,  that  his  physical 
energies  are  depleted  and  drained  and  that  ere  long  these  complications 
will  put  an  end  to  his  life.  This  is  far  from  the  truth.  Although  in  the 
outward  estimation  of  the  Covenant-breakers  and  defective-minded  the 
body  is  weak  on  account  of  ordeals  in  the  Blessed  Path,  yet,  Praise  be 
to  God  !  through  the  providence  of  the  Blessed  Perfection  the  spiritual 
forces  are  in  the  utmost  rejuvenation  and  strength.  Thanks  be  to  God 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  63 

that  now,  through  the  blessing  and  benediction  of  Baha’u’llah,  even  the 
physical  energies  are  fully  restored,  divine  joy  is  obtained,  the  supreme 
glad-tidings  are  resplendent  and  ideal  happiness  overflowing.” — Star  of 
the  West ,  vol.  v.  No.  14,  p.  213. 

Both  during  the  Great  War  and  after  its  close  ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 
amidst  countless  other  activities,  was  able  to  pour  forth  a  series 
of  great  and  inspiring  letters  which,  when  communications  were 
re-opened,  roused  believers  throughout  the  world  to  new  enthusiasm 
and  zeal  for  service.  Under  the  inspiration  of  these  letters  the 
Cause  progressed  by  leaps  and  bounds  and  everywhere  the  Move¬ 
ment  showed  signs  of  new  vitality  and  vigour. 

War  Time  at  Haifa. 

A  remarkable  instance  of  the  foresight  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  was 
supplied  during  the  months  immediately  preceding  the  war. 
During  peace  times  there  was  usually  a  large  number  of  pilgrims 
at  Haifa,  from  Persia  and  other  regions  of  the  globe.  About 
six  months  before  the  outbreak  of  war  one  of  the  old  Baha’is 
living  at  Haifa  presented  a  request  from  several  Persian  believers 
for  permission  to  visit  the  Master.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  did  not  grant 
the  permission,  and  from  that  time  onwards  gradually  dismissed 
the  pilgrims  who  were  at  Haifa,  so  that  by  the  end  of  July  1914 
none  remained.  When,  in  the  first  days  of  August,  the  sudden 
outbreak  of  the  Great  War  startled  the  world,  the  wisdom  of  his 
precaution  became  apparent. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  who  had  already  spent 
fifty-five  years  of  his  life  in  exile  and  prison,  became  again  virtually 
a  prisoner  of  the  Turkish  Government.  Communication  with 
friends  and  believers  outside  Syria  was  almost  completely  cut  off, 
and  he  and  his  little  band  of  followers  were  again  subjected  to 
straitened  circumstances,  scarcity  of  food  and  great  personal  danger 
and  inconvenience. 

During  the  war  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  had  a  busy  time  in  ministering 
to  the  material  and  spiritual  wants  of  the  people  about  him.  He 
personally  organized  extensive  agricultural  operations  near 
Tiberias,  thus  securing  a  great  supply  of  wheat,  by  means  of  which 
famine  was  averted,  not  only  for  the  Baha’is  but  for  hundreds  of 
the  poor  of  all  religions  in  Haifa  and  ‘Akka,  whose  wants  he  liberally 


64  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

supplied.  He  took  care  of  all,  and  mitigated  their  sufferings  as 
far  as  possible.  To  hundreds  of  poor  people  he  would  give  a 
small  sum  of  money  daily.  In  addition  to  money  he  gave  bread. 
If  there  was  no  bread  he  would  give  dates  or  something  else. 
He  made  frequent  visits  to  ‘Akka  to  comfort  and  help  the  believers 
and  poor  people  there.  During  the  time  of  war  he  had  daily 
meetings  of  the  believers,  and  through  his  help  the  friends 
remained  happy  and  tranquil  throughout  those  troublous  years. 

Sir  ‘Abdu’l^Baba  Abbas,  K.B.E. 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  in  Haifa  when,  on  the  23rd  day  of 
September,  1918,  at  3  p.m.,  after  some  twenty-four  hours’ 
fighting,  the  city  was  taken  by  British  and  Indian  cavalry,  and 
the  horrors  of  war  conditions  under  the  Turkish  rule  came  to 
an  end. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  British  occupation,  large  numbers 
of  soldiers  and  Government  officials  of  all  ranks,  even  the  highest, 
sought  interviews  with  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  delighting  in  his  illuminating 
talks,  his  breadth  of  view  and  depth  of  insight,  his  dignified 
courtesy  and  genial  hospitality.  So  profoundly  impressed  were  the 
Government  representatives  by  his  noble  character  and  his  great 
work  in  the  interests  of  peace,  conciliation,  and  the  true  prosperity 
of  the  people,  that  a  knighthood  of  the  British  Empire  was 
conferred  on  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in  the 
garden  of  the  Military  Governor  of  Haifa  on  the  27th  day  of 
April,  1920. 

Last  Years. 

During  the  winter  of  1919-20  the  writer  had  the  great  privilege 
of  spending  two  and  a  half  months  as  the  guest  of  Abdu’l-Baha 
at  Haifa  and  intimately  observing  his  daily  life.  At  that  time, 
although  nearly  seventy-six  years  of  age,  he  was  still  remarkably 
vigorous,  and  accomplished  daily  an  almost  incredible  amount  of 
work.  Although  often  very  weary  he  showed  wonderful  powers 
of  recuperation,  and  his  services  were  always  at  the  disposal  of  those 
who  needed  them  most.  His  unfailing  patience,  gentleness, 
kindliness  and  tact  made  his  presence  like  a  benediction.  It 
was  his  custom  to  spend  a  large  part  of  each  night  in  prayer  and 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  65 

meditation.  From  early  morning  until  evening,  except  for  a 
short  siesta  after  lunch,  he  was  busily  engaged  in  reading  and 
answering  letters  from  many  lands  and  in  attending  to  the  multi¬ 
tudinous  affairs  of  the  household  and  of  the  Cause.  In  the  after¬ 
noon  he  usually  had  a  little  relaxation  in  the  form  of  a  walk  or 
drive,  but  even  then  he  was  usually  accompanied  by  one  or  two, 
or  a  party  of,  pilgrims  with  whom  he  would  converse  on  spiritual 
matters,  or  he  would  find  opportunity  by  the  way  of  seeing  and 
ministering  to  some  of  the  poor.  After  his  return  he  would  call 
the  friends  to  the  usual  evening  meeting  in  his  salon.  Both  at 
lunch  and  supper  he  used  to  entertain  a  number  of  pilgrims  and 
friends,  and  charm  his  guests  with  happy  and  humorous  stories  as 
well  as  precious  talks  on  a  great  variety  of  subjects.  “  My  home 
is  the  home  of  laughter  and  mirth,”  he  declared,  and  indeed  it 
was  so.  He  delighted  in  gathering  together  people  of  various 
races,  colours,  nations  and  religions  in  unity  and  cordial  friendship 
around  his  hospitable  board.  He  was  indeed  a  loving  father  not 
only  to  the  little  community  at  Haifa,  but  to  the  Baha’i  community 
throughout  the  world. 

The  Passing  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s  manifold  activities  continued  with  little  abate¬ 
ment  despite  increasing  bodily  weakness  and  weariness  up  till  the 
last  day  or  two  of  his  life.  On  Friday,  November  25,  1921, 
he  attended  the  noonday  prayer  at  the  Mosque  in  Haifa,  and 
afterwards  distributed  alms  to  the  poor  with  his  own  hands,  as 
was  his  wont.  After  lunch  he  dictated  some  letters.  When  he 
had  rested  he  walked  in  the  garden  and  had  a  talk  with  the  gardener. 
In  the  evening  he  gave  his  blessing  and  counsel  to  a  loved  and 
faithful  servant  of  the  household  who  had  been  married  that  day, 
and  afterwards  he  attended  the  usual  meeting  of  the  friends  in 
his  own  salon.  Less  than  three  days  later,  about  1.30  a.m.  on 
Monday,  November  28th,  he  passed  away  so  peacefully  that,  to 
the  two  daughters  watching  by  his  bedside,  it  seemed  as  if  he  had 
gone  quietly  to  sleep. 

The  sad  news  soon  spread  throughout  the  town  and  was  flashed 
over  the  wires  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  next  morning 
(Tuesday,  November  29th)  the  funeral  took  place  : 

5 


66 


BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


“  a  funeral  the  like  of  which  Haifa,  nay,  Palestine  itself,  had  surely  never 
seen  ...  so  deep  was  the  feeling  that  brought  so  many  thousands  of 
mourners  together,  representative  of  so  many  religions,  races  and  tongues. 

“  The  High  Commissioner,  Sir  Herbert  Samuel,  the  Governor  of 
Jerusalem,  the  Governor  of  Phoenicia,  the  chief  officials  of  the  Government, 
the  Consuls  of  the  various  countries,  resident  in  Haifa,  the  heads  of  the 
various  religious  communities,  the  notables  of  Palestine,  Jews,  Christians, 
Moslems,  Druses,  Egyptians,  Greeks,  Turks,  Kurds,  and  a  host  of  his 
American,  European  and  native  friends,  men,  women  and  children,  both 
of  high  and  low  degree  .  .  .  all,  about  ten  thousand  in  number,  mourning 
the  loss  of  their  beloved  one.  .  .  .  ‘  O  God,  our  God  !  ’  the  people 
wailed  with  one  accord,  ‘  Our  father  has  left  us,  our  father  has  left  us  !  ’ . . . 

“  They  slowly  wended  their  way  up  Mount  Carmel,  the  vineyard  of 
God.  .  .  .  After  two  hours’  walking,  they  reached  the  garden  of  the  Tomb 
of  the  Bab.  ...  As  the  vast  concourse  pressed  around,  representatives 
of  the  various  denominations,  Moslems,  Christians  and  Jews,  all  hearts 
being  ablaze  with  fervent  love  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  some  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  others  prepared,  raised  their  voices  in  eulogy  and  regret, 
paying  their  last  homage  of  farewell  to  their  loved  one.  So  united  were 
they  in  their  acclamation  of  him,  as  the  wise  educator  and  reconciler  of 
the  human  race  in  this  perplexed  and  sorrowful  age,  that  there  seemed 
to  be  nothing  left  for  the  Baha’is  to  say.” — The  Passing  of  ‘ Abdu' l-B aha, 
by  Lady  Blomfield  and  Shoghi  Effendi. 

Nine  speakers,  all  of  them  prominent  representatives  of  the 
Muslim,  Christian  and  Jewish  communities,  bore  eloquent  and 
moving  witness  to  their  love  and  admiration  of  the  pure  and  noble 
life  which  had  just  drawn  to  its  close.  Then  the  casket  was  slowly 
passed  to  its  simple  and  hallowed  resting-place. 

Surely  here  was  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  who  had 
laboured  all  his  life  for  unity  of  religions,  of  races,  of  tongues — 
a  tribute,  and  also  a  proof,  that  his  life-work  had  not  been  in  vain, 
that  the  ideals  of  Baha’u’llah,  which  were  his  inspiration,  nay, 
his  very  life,  were  already  beginning  to  permeate  the  world  and  to 
break  down  the  barriers  of  sect  and  caste  that  for  centuries  had 
alienated  Muslim,  Christian,  Jew,  and  the  other  diverse  factions 
into  which  the  human  family  has  been  riven. 

Writings  and  Addresses. 

The  writings  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  are  very  numerous  and  are 
mostly  in  the  form  of  letters  to  believers  and  enquirers.  A  great 
many  of  his  talks  and  addresses  have  also  been  recorded  and  many 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  67 

have  been  published.  Of  the  thousands  of  pilgrims  who  have 
visited  him  at  ‘Akka  and  Haifa  a  large  number  have  written 
descriptions  of  their  impressions,  and  many  of  these  records  are  now 
available  in  printed  form. 

His  teachings  are  thus  very  completely  preserved,  and  they  cover 
a  very  wide  range  of  subjects.  With  many  of  the  problems  of 
both  East  and  West  he  dealt  more  fully  than  his  father  had  done, 
giving  more  detailed  applications  of  the  general  principles  laid 
down  by  Baha’u’llah.  A  number  of  his  writings  have  not  yet 
been  translated  into  any  Western  language,  but  enough  is  already 
available  to  give  deep  and  full  knowledge  of  the  more  important 
principles  of  his  teaching. 

He  spoke  Persian,  Arabic  and  Turkish.  In  his  Western  tours 
his  talks  and  addresses  were  always  interpreted,  obviously  losing 
much  of  their  beauty,  eloquence  and  force  in  the  process,  yet  such 
was  the  power  of  the  Spirit  which  accompanied  his  words  that 
all  who  heard  him  were  impressed. 

Station  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

The  unique  station  assigned  to  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  by  the  Blessed 
Perfection  is  indicated  in  the  following  tablet  written  by  the 
latter  : — 

“  In  His  Name  who  shines  from  the  Horizon  of  Might !  Verily, 
the  Tongue  of  the  Ancient  (i.e.  Baha’u’llah,  the  Tongue  of  God)  gives  glad 
tidings  to  those  who  are  in  the  world  concerning  the  Appearance  of  the 
Greatest  Name,  Who  takes  His  Covenant  amongst  the  nations  (i.e. 
‘Abdu’l-Baha).  Verily,  He  is  Myself ;  the  shining  place  of  My  Identity, 
the  East  of  My  Cause,  the  Heaven  of  My  Bounty,  the  Sea  of  My  Will, 
the  Lamp  of  My  Guidance,  the  Path  of  My  Justice,  the  Standard  of 
My  Law. 

“  The  one  who  hath  turned  to  Him  hath  turned  to  My  Face  and 
is  illumined  through  the  lights  of  My  Beauty,  hath  acknowledged  My 
Oneness  and  confessed  My  Singleness. 

“  The  one  who  hath  denied  Him  hath  been  deprived  of  the  Salsabil 1 
of  my  Love,  the  Kawthar  1  of  My  Favour,  the  Cup  of  My  Mercy  and 
of  the  wine  through  which  the  sincere  ones  have  been  attracted  and  the 
monotheists  have  taken  flight  in  the  air  of  My  Kindness,  which  no  one 
hath  known  except  the  One  to  whom  I  have  taught  what  hath  been 


1  Salsabil  and  Kawthar  are  the  names  of  two  rivers  in  Paradise. 


68  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

revealed  in  My  Hidden  Tablet.” — Translated  by  Mlrza  Valiyyu  ’llah 
Khan  Varqa,  of  'J'ihran,  Persia. 

In  this  tablet  the  mystic  Unity  between  Baha’u’llah  and 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  is  strikingly  affirmed  in  the  words  :  “  He  is  Myself.” 
The  Blessed  Perfection  spoke  in  the  same  way  of  the  Bab.  In 
the  Suratu’l-Haykal  he  says  :  “  Had  the  Primal  Point  (Bab) 

been  someone  else  beside  Me,  as  ye  claim,  and  reached  the  event 
of  My  Appearance,  verily,  he  would  never  have  left  Me,  but  rather 
we  would  have  had  mutual  delights  with  each  other  in  My  Days.” 
The  tablet  clearly  indicates  that  the  spirit  which  animates  and 
inspires  ‘Abdu’l  Baha  is  that  of  the  Blessed  Perfection  Himself, 
and  that  whatever  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  or  does  is  to  be  accepted  as 
of  equal  authority  with  the  direct  utterance  of  the  Manifestation. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  himself  makes  no  claim  to  independent  prophet- 
hood.  The  Revelation  he  proclaims  is  that  of  Baha’u’llah. 
He  is  but  as  the  clear  mirror  reflecting  the  light  of  Baha’u’llah — 
the  “  willing  channel  ”  for  the  transmission  to  the  world  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  emanating  from  the  Manifestation.  Many  have 
sought  to  acclaim  him  as  the  returned  Christ.  With  regard  to 
this  matter  he  wrote  as  follows  to  some  believers  in  America  : 

“  You  have  written  that  there  is  a  difference  among  the  believers 
concerning  the  4  Second  Coming  of  Christ  ’ !  Praise  be  to  God  ! — time 
and  again  this  question  hath  arisen,  and  its  answer  hath  emanated  in  a 
clear  and  irrefutable  statement  from  the  pen  of  Abdul-Baha  that  what 
is  meant  in  the  prophecies  by  the  *  Lord  of  Hosts  ’  and  the  ‘  Prom¬ 
ised  Christ  ’  is  the  Blessed  Perfection  and  His  Highness  the  Supreme 
(the  Bab). 

“  My  name  is  Abdul-Baha  (i.e.  Servant  of  Baha),  my  qualification 
is  Abdul-Baha,  my  reality  is  Abdul-Baha,  my  praise  is  Abdul-Baha. 
Thraldom  to  the  Blessed  Perfection  is  my  glorious  and  refulgent  diadem 
and  servitude  to  all  the  human  race  is  my  perpetual  religion.  Through 
the  bounty  and  favour  of  the  Blessed  Perfection,  Abdul-Baha  is  the 
Ensign  of  the  Most  Great  Peace,  which  is  waving  from  the  Supreme 
Apex ;  and  through  the  gift  of  the  Greatest  Name,  He  is  the  Lamp  of 
Universal  Salvation,  which  is  shining  with  the  Love  of  God.  The 
Herald  of  the  Kingdom  is  he,  so  that  he  may  awaken  the  people  of  the 
East  and  of  the  West.  The  voice  of  Friendship,  Uprightness,  Truth 
and  Reconciliation  is  he,  so  as  to  cause  quickening  throughout  all  regions. 
No  name,  no  title,  no  mention,  no  commendation  hath  he,  nor  will  ever 
have,  except  Abdul-Baha — Servant  of  Baha.  This  is  my  longing.  This 
is  my  greatest  yearning.  This  is  my  eternal  life.  This  is  my  everlasting 


‘ABDU’L-BAHA  :  THE  SERVANT  OF  BAHA  69 

glory  !  .  .  .  Consequently  the  friends  of  God  must  assist  and  help  Abdul- 
Baha  in  the  Adoration  of  the  True  One  ;  in  servitude  to  the  human  race  ; 
in  the  well-being  of  the  human  world  and  in  divine  love  and  kindness.  .  .  . 

“  O  ye  friends  of  God  !  Abdul-Baha  is  the  Manifestation  of  Thraldom, 
and  not  the  ‘  Christ.’  The  servant  of  the  human  realm  is  he,  and  not 
a  ‘  Chief.’  Non-existent  is  he,  and  not  ‘  Existent.’  Pure  nothingness 
is  he  and  not  the  ‘  Eternal  Lord.’  No  one  must  believe  that  Abdul-Baha 
is  the  ‘  Second  Coming  of  Christ,’  nay,  rather  he  must  believe  that  he  is 
the  manifestation  of  servitude,  the  mainspring  of  the  unity  of  the  human 
world,  the  Herald  of  the  True  One  with  spiritual  power  throughout 
all  regions,  the  Commentator  of  the  Book  according  to  the  divine  text, 
and  the  Ransom  to  each  one  of  the  believers  of  God  in  this  transitory 
world. 

“  Print  ye  this  tablet  and  spread  it  throughout  all  countries.” — Tablets 
of  Abdul-Baha,  vol.  ii.  p.  429. 

Exemplar  of  Baha’i  Life. 

Baha’u’llah  was  pre-eminently  the  Revealer  of  the  Word. 
His  forty  years’  imprisonment  gave  him  but  limited  opportunities 
of  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men.  To  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  therefore, 
fell  the  important  task  of  becoming  the  exponent  of  the  Revelation, 
the  Doer  of  the  Word,  the  Great  Exemplar  of  the  Baha’i  life  in 
actual  contact  with  the  world  of  to-day,  in  the  most  diverse  phases 
of  its  myriad  activities.  He  showed  that  it  is  still  possible,  amid 
the  whirl  and  rush  of  modern  life,  amid  the  self-love  and  struggle 
for  material  prosperity  that  everywhere  prevail,  to  live  the  life 
of  entire  devotion  to  God  and  to  the  service  of  one’s  fellows, 
which  Christ  and  Baha’u’llah  and  all  the  prophets  have  demanded 
of  men.  Through  trial  and  vicissitudes,  calumnies,  and  treachery 
on  the  one  hand,  and  through  love  and  praise,  devotion  and  venera¬ 
tion  on  the  other,  he  stood  like  a  lighthouse  founded  on  a  rock, 
around  which  wintry  tempests  rage  and  the  summer  ocean  plays, 
his  poise  and  serenity  remaining  ever  steadfast  and  unshaken. 
He  lived  the  life  of  faith,  and  calls  on  his  followers  to  live  it  here 
and  now.  He  raised  amid  a  warring  world  the  Banner  of  Unity 
and  Peace,  the  Standard  of  a  New  Era,  and  he  inspires  those  who 
rally  to  his  support  with  the  Spirit  of  the  New  Day.  It  is  the 
same  Holy  Spirit  which  inspired  the  Prophets  and  Saints  of  old, 
but  it  is  a  new  outpouring  of  that  Spirit,  suited  to  the  needs  of  the 
new  time. 


CHAPTER  V 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I  ? 

**  Man  must  show  forth  fruits.  A  fruitless  man,  in  the  words  of  His  Holiness 
the  Spirit  (i.e.  Christ),  is  like  a  fruitless  tree,  and  a  fruitless  tree  is  fit  for  fire.” — 
Baha’u’llah,  in  Words  of  Paradise. 

Herbert  Spencer  once  remarked  that  by  no  political  alchemy 
is  it  possible  to  get  golden  conduct  out  of  leaden  instincts,  and 
it  is  equally  true  that  by  no  political  alchemy  is  it  possible  to  make 
a  golden  society  out  of  leaden  individuals.  Baha’u’llah,  like  all 
previous  prophets,  proclaimed  this  truth  and  taught  that  in  order 
to  establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  world,  it  must  first  be 
established  in  the  hearts  of  men.  In  examining  the  Baha’i 
teachings,  therefore,  we  shall  commence  with  the  instructions 
of  Baha’u’llah  for  individual  conduct,  and  try  to  form  a  clear 
picture  of  what  it  means  to  be  a  Baha’i. 

Living  the  Life. 

When  asked  on  one  occasion  :  “  What  is  a  Baha’i  ?  ”  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  replied  :  “  To  be  a  Baha’i  simply  means  to  love  all  the  world  ; 
to  love  humanity  and  try  to  serve  it  ;  to  work  for  universal  peace 
and  universal  brotherhood.”  On  another  occasion  he  defined  a 
Baha’i  as  “  one  endowed  with  all  the  perfections  of  man  in  activity.” 
In  one  of  his  London  talks  he  said  that  a  man  may  be  a  Baha’i 
even  if  he  has  never  heard  the  name  of  Baha’u’llah.  He  added  : — 

“  The  man  who  lives  the  life  according  to  the  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah 
is  already  a  Baha’i.  On  the  other  hand,  a  man  may  call  himself  a  Baha’i 
for  fifty  years,  and  if  he  does  not  live  the  life  he  is  not  a  Baha’i.  An 
ugly  man  may  call  himself  handsome,  but  he  deceives  no  one,  and  a  black 
man  may  call  himself  white,  yet  he  deceives  no  one,  not  even  himself.” 
— Abdul  Baha  in  London ,  p.  109. 


70 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I? 


71 

One  who  does  not  know  God’s  Messengers,  however,  is  like  a 
plant  growing  in  the  shade.  Although  it  knows  not  the  sun, 
it  is,  nevertheless,  absolutely  dependent  on  it.  The  great  prophets 
are  spiritual  suns,  and  Baha’u’llah  is  the  sun  of  this  “  day  ”  in 
which  we  live.  The  suns  of  former  days  have  warmed  and  vivified 
the  world,  and  had  those  suns  not  shone,  the  earth  would  now 
be  cold  and  dead,  but  it  is  the  sunshine  of  to-day  that  alone 
can  ripen  the  fruits  which  the  suns  of  former  days  have  kissed 
into  life. 

Devotion  to  God. 

In  order  to  attain  to  the  Baha’i  life  in  all  its  fulness ,  conscious 
and  direct  relations  with  Baha’u’llah  are  as  necessary  as  is  sunshine 
for  the  unfolding  of  the  lily  or  the  rose.  The  Baha’i  worships 
not  the  human  personality  of  Baha’u’llah,  but  the  Glory  of  God 
manifest  through  that  personality.  He  reverences  Christ  and 
Muhammad  and  all  God’s  former  Messengers  to  mankind,  but 
he  recognizes  Baha’u’llah  as  the  bearer  of  God’s  Message  for  the 
new  age  in  which  we  live,  as  the  Great  World-teacher  who  has 
come  to  carry  on  and  consummate  the  work  of  his  predecessors. 

Intellectual  assent  to  a  creed  does  not  make  a  man  a  Baha’i, 
not  does  outward  rectitude  of  conduct.  Baha’u’llah  requires  of 
his  followers  whole-hearted  and  complete  devotion.  God  alone 
has  the  right  to  make  such  a  demand,  but  Baha’u’llah  speaks  as 
the  Manifestation  of  God,  and  the  Revealer  of  His  Will.  Previous 
Manifestations  have  been  equally  clear  on  this  point.  Christ 
said  :  “  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself, 
and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever  will  save 
his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it.”  In  different  words,  all  the  Divine  Manifestations 
have  made  this  same  demand  from  their  followers,  and  the  history 
of  religion  shows  clearly  that  as  long  as  the  demand  has  been  frankly 
recognized  and  accepted,  religion  has  flourished,  despite  all  earthly 
opposition,  despite  affliction,  persecution  and  martyrdom  of  the 
believers.  On  the  other  hand,  whenever  compromise  has  crept 
in,  and  “  respectability  ”  has  taken  the  place  of  complete  consecra¬ 
tion,  then  religion  has  decayed.  It  has  become  fashionable, 
but  it  has  lost  its  power  to  save  and  transform,  its  power  to  work 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


72 

miracles.  True  religion  has  never  yet  been  fashionable.  God 
grant  that  one  day  it  may  become  so  ;  but  it  is  still  true,  as  in  the 
days  of  Christ,  that  “  Strait  is  the  gate  and  narrow  is  the  way  that 
leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  who  find  it.”  The  gateway 
of  spiritual  birth,  like  the  gateway  of  natural  birth,  admits  men 
only  one  by  one,  and  without  encumbrances.  If,  in  the  future, 
more  people  succeed  in  entering  that  way  than  in  the  past,  it  will 
not  be  because  of  any  widening  of  the  gate,  but  because  of  a  greater 
disposition  on  the  part  of  men  to  make  the  “  great  surrender  ” 
which  God  demands  ;  because  long  and  bitter  experience  has  at 
last  brought  them  to  see  the  folly  of  choosing  their  own  way 
instead  of  God’s  way. 

Search  After  Truth. 

Baha’u’llah  enjoins  justice  on  all  his  followers  and  defines 
it  as  : — 

“  The  freedom  of  man  from  superstition  and  imitation,  so  that  he 
may  discern  the  Manifestations  of  God  with  the  eye  of  Oneness,  and 
consider  all  affairs  with  keen  sight.” — Words  of  Wisdom. 

It  is  necessary  that  each  individual  should  see  and  realize  for 
himself  the  Glory  of  God  manifest  in  the  human  temple  of  Baha’u’¬ 
llah,  otherwise  the  Baha’i  faith  would  be  for  him  but  a  name 
without  meaning.  The  call  of  the  prophets  to  mankind  has  always 
been  that  men  should  open  their  eyes,  not  shut  them,  use  their 
reason,  not  suppress  it.  It  is  clear  seeing  and  free  thinking,  not 
servile  credulity,  that  will  enable  them  to  penetrate  the  clouds  of 
prejudice,  to  shake  off  the  fetters  of  blind  imitation,  and  attain 
to  the  realization  of  the  truth  of  a  new  Revelation. 

He  who  would  be  a  Baha’i  needs  to  be  a  fearless  seeker  after 
truth,  but  he  should  not  confine  his  search  to  the  material  plane. 
His  spiritual  perceptive  powers  should  be  awake  as  well  as  his 
physical.  He  should  use  all  the  faculties  God  has  given  him  for 
the  acquisition  of  truth,  believing  nothing  without  valid  and 
sufficient  reason.  If  his  heart  is  pure,  and  his  mind  free  from 
prejudice,  the  earnest  seeker  will  not  fail  to  recognize  the  Divine 
Glory  in  whatsoever  temple  it  may  become  manifest.  Baha’u’llah 
further  declares  : — 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I  ? 


73 

“  Man  should  know  his  own  self,  and  know  those  things  that  lead  to 
loftiness  or  to  baseness,  to  shame  or  to  honour,  to  wealth  or  to  poverty.” 
— Tablet  of  farazat. 

“  The  root  of  all  knowledge  is  the  knowledge  of  God  ;  (Glory  be 
to  Him  !)  and  this  knowledge  is  impossible  save  through  His  Mani¬ 
festation.” — Words  of  Wisdom. 

The  Manifestation  is  the  Perfect  Man,  the  great  Exemplar 
for  Mankind,  the  First  Fruit  of  the  tree  of  humanity.  Until 
we  know  Him  we  do  not  know  the  latent  possibilities  within 
ourselves.  Christ  tells  us  to  consider  the  lilies  how  they  grow, 
and  declares  that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one 
of  these.  The  lily  grows  from  a  very  unattractive-looking  bulb. 
If  we  had  never  seen  a  lily  in  bloom,  never  gazed  on  its  matchless 
grace  of  foliage  and  flower,  how  could  we  know  the  reality 
contained  in  that  bulb  ?  We  might  dissect  it  most  carefully  and 
examine  it  most  minutely,  but  we  should  never  discover  the 
dormant  beauty  which  the  gardener  knows  how  to  awaken.  So 
until  we  have  seen  the  Glory  of  God  revealed  in  the  Manifestation, 
we  can  have  no  idea  of  the  spiritual  beauty  latent  in  our  own 
nature  and  in  that  of  our  fellows.  By  knowing  and  loving  the 
Manifestation  of  God  and  following  His  teachings  we  are  enabled, 
little  by  little,  to  realize  the  potential  perfections  within  ourselves  ; 
then,  and  not  till  then,  does  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  life  and 
of  the  universe  become  apparent  to  us. 

Love  of  God. 

To  know  the  Manifestation  of  God  means  also  to  love  him. 
One  is  impossible  without  the  other.  According  to  Baha’u’llah, 
the  purpose  of  man’s  creation  is  that  he  may  know  God  and  adore 
Him.  He  says  in  one  of  his  Tablets  : — 

“  The  cause  of  the  creation  of  all  contingent  beings  has  been  love, 
as  it  is  said  in  the  well-known  tradition,  4 1  was  a  hidden  treasure  and  I 
loved  to  be  known.  Therefore  I  created  the  creation  in  order  to  be 
known.’  ” 

And  in  the  Hidden  Words  he  says  : — 

“  O  son  of  existence  !  Love  me  that  I  may  love  thee.  If  thou  lovest 
me  not,  My  Love  can  never  reach  thee.  Know  this,  O  servant. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


74 

“  O  son  of  the  Highest  Sight !  I  have  placed  in  thee  a  Spirit  from 
Me  that  thou  mightest  be  My  lover  :  why  hast  thou  forsaken  Me  and 
sought  to  love  another  ?  ” 

To  be  God’s  lover  !  That  is  the  sole  object  of  life  for  the  Baha’i. 
To  have  God  as  his  closest  companion  and  most  intimate  friend, 
his  Peerless  Beloved,  in  Whose  Presence  is  fulness  of  joy  !  And  to 
love  God  means  to  love  everything  and  everybody,  for  all  are  of 
God.  The  real  Baha’i  will  be  the  perfect  lover.  He  will  love 
everyone  with  a  pure  heart,  fervently.  He  will  hate  no  one. 
He  will  despise  no  one,  for  he  will  have  learned  to  see  the  Face 
of  the  Beloved  in  every  face,  and  to  find  His  traces  everywhere. 
His  love  will  know  no  limit  of  sect,  nation,  class  or  race. 
Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  In  former  ages  it  hath  been  said  :  ‘To  love  one’s  native  land  is  faith.’ 
But  the  Tongue  of  Grandeur  hath  said  in  the  day  of  this  Manifestation  : 
*  Glory  is  not  his  who  loves  his  own  country,  but  glory  is  his  who  loves 
his  kind.’  ” — Tablet  of  the  World. 

And  again  : — 

“  Blessed  is  he  who  prefers  his  brother  before  himself ;  such  an  one 
is  of  the  people  of  Baha.” — Words  of  Paradise. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  tells  us  we  must  be  “  as  one  soul  in  many  bodies, 
for  the  more  we  love  each  other,  the  nearer  we  shall  be  to  God.” 
To  a  Christian  minister  he  said: — 

“  All  the  prophets  were  sent,  all  the  books  were  revealed,  that  the  law 
of  love  might  be  promoted.  .  .  .  Let  us  have  love  and  more  love,  a  love 
that  melts  all  opposition,  a  love  that  conquers  all  foes,  a  love  that  sweeps 
away  all  barriers,  a  love  that  abounds  in  charity,  large-heartedness,  toler¬ 
ance  and  noble  striving,  a  love  that  triumphs  over  all  obstacles,  a  bound¬ 
less,  an  irresistible,  sweeping  love  !  ” — Diary  of  Mirza  Ahmad  Sohrab , 
June  9,  1914. 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  Every  soul  of  the  beloved  ones  must  love  the  others  and  withhold 
not  his  possessions  and  life  from  them,  and  by  all  means  he  must  endeavour 
to  make  the  others  joyous  and  happy.  But  these  others  must  also  be 
disinterested  and  self-sacrificing.  Thus  may  this  Sunrise  flood  the  horizons, 
this  Melody  gladden  and  make  happy  all  the  people,  this  divine  Remedy 
become  the  panacea  for  every  disease,  this  Spirit  of  Truth  become  the 
cause  of  life  for  every  soul.” — Tablets  of  Abdul  Baha ,  vol.  i.  p.  147. 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I? 


75 


Severance. 

Devotion  to  God  implies  also  severance  from  everything 
that  is  not  of  God,  severance,  that  is,  from  all  selfish  and  worldly, 
and  even  other-worldly,  desires.  The  path  of  God  may  lie  through 
riches  or  poverty,  health  or  sickness,  through  palace  or  dungeon, 
rose-garden  or  torture-chamber.  Whichever  it  be,  the  Baha’i 
will  learn  to  accept  his  lot  with  “  radiant  acquiescence.”  Severance 
does  not  mean  stolid  indifference  to  one’s  surroundings  or  passive 
resignation  to  evil  conditions  ;  nor  does  it  mean  despising  the  good 
things  which  God  has  created.  The  true  Baha’i  will  not  be 
callous,  nor  apathetic  nor  ascetic.  He  will  find  abundant  interest, 
abundant  work  and  abundant  joy  in  the  Path  of  God,  but  he  will 
not  deviate  one  hair’s  breadth  from  that  path  in  pursuit  of  pleasure 
nor  hanker  after  anything  that  God  has  denied  him.  When  a 
man  becomes  a  Baha’i,  God’s  Will  becomes  his  will,  for  to  be  at 
variance  with  God  is  the  one  thing  he  cannot  endure.  In  the 
Path  of  God  no  terrors  can  appal,  no  troubles  dismay  him.  The 
light  of  love  irradiates  his  darkest  days,  transmutes  suffering  into 
joy,  and  martyrdom  itself  into  an  ecstasy  of  bliss.  Life  is  lifted 
to  the  heroic  plane  and  death  becomes  a  glad  adventure. 
Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  He  that  hath  in  his  heart  even  less  than  a  mustard  seed  of  love  for 
anything  beside  Me,  verily  he  cannot  enter  My  Kingdom.” — Suratu’l 
Haykal. 

“  O  son  of  humanity  !  If  thou  loves t  me,  turn  away  from  thyself ; 
if  My  Will  thou  seekest,  regard  not  thine  own,  that  thou  mayest  die  in 
Me  and  I  live  in  thee.” 

“  O  my  servant !  Free  thyself  from  the  fetters  of  this  world,  and 
escape  from  the  prison  of  self.  Appreciate  the  value  of  the  time,  for 
thou  shalt  never  see  it  again,  nor  shalt  thou  find  a  like  opportunity.” 
— Hidden  Words. 

Obedience. 

Devotion  to  God  involves  implicit  obedience  to  His  revealed 
Commands  even  when  the  reason  for  these  Commands  is  not 
understood.  The  sailor  implicitly  obeys  his  captain’s  orders, 
even  when  he  does  not  know  the  reason  for  them,  but  his  acceptance 
of  authority  is  not  blind.  He  knows  full  well  that  the  captain 
has  served  a  thorough  probation,  and  given  ample  proofs  of 


76  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

competence  as  a  navigator.  Were  it  not  so,  he  would  be  foolish 
indeed  to  serve  under  him.  So  the  Baha’i  must  implicitly  obey 
the  Captain  of  his  Salvation,  but  he  will  be  foolish  indeed  if  he  has 
not  first  ascertained  that  this  Captain  has  given  ample  proofs  of 
trustworthiness.  Having  received  such  proofs,  however,  to  refuse 
obedience  would  be  even  greater  folly,  for  only  by  intelligent  and 
open-eyed  obedience  to  the  wise  master  can  we  reap  the  benefits 
of  his  wisdom,  and  acquire  this  wisdom  for  ourselves.  Be  the 
captain  never  so  wise,  if  none  of  the  crew  obey  him  how  shall  the 
ship  reach  its  port  or  the  sailors  learn  the  art  of  navigation  ?  Christ 
clearly  pointed  out  that  obedience  is  the  path  of  knowledge.  He 
said  : — 

“  My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  His  that  sent  me.  If  any  man  will 
do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or 
whether  I  speak  of  myself.” — St.  John  vii.  16-17. 

So  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  Faith  in  God,  and  the  knowledge  of  Him,  cannot  be  fully  attained 
except  ...  by  practising  all  that  He  hath  commanded  and  all  that  is 
revealed  in  the  Book  from  the  Pen  of  Glory.” — Tablet  of  Tajalliyat. 

Implicit  obedience  is  not  a  popular  virtue  in  these  democratic 
days,  and  indeed  entire  submission  to  the  will  of  any  mere  man 
would  be  disastrous.  But  the  Unity  of  Humanity  can  be  attained 
only  by  complete  harmony  of  each  and  all  with  the  Divine  Will. 
Unless  that  Will  be  clearly  revealed,  and  men  abandon  all  other 
leaders  and  obey  the  Divine  Messenger,  then  conflict  and  strife 
will  go  on,  and  men  will  continue  to  oppose  each  other,  to  devote 
a  large  part  of  their  energy  to  frustrating  the  efforts  of  their  brother 
men,  instead  of  working  harmoniously  together  for  the  Glory  of 
God  and  the  common  good. 

Service. 

Devotion  to  God  implies  a  life  of  service  to  our  fellow-creatures. 
We  can  be  of  service  to  God  in  no  other  way.  If  we  turn  our  backs 
on  our  fellow-men,  we  are  turning  our  backs  upon  God.  Christ 
said,  “  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  unto  the  least  of  these  My  brethren, 
ye  did  it  not  unto  Me.”  So  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I? 


77 

“  O  son  of  man  !  If  thou  regardest  Mercy,  look  not  to  that  which 
benefits  thyself ;  but  hold  to  that  which  will  benefit  thy  fellow-men. 
If  thou  regardest  Justice,  choose  thou  for  others  that  which  thou  choosest 
for  thyself.” — Words  of  Paradise. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  In  the  Baha’i  Cause  arts,  sciences  and  all  crafts  are  counted  as  worship. 
The  man  who  makes  a  piece  of  notepaper  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  con¬ 
scientiously,  concentrating  all  his  forces  on  perfecting  it,  is  giving  praise 
to  God.  Briefly,  all  effort  and  exertion  put  forth  by  man  from  the 
fulness  of  his  heart  is  worship,  if  it  is  prompted  by  the  highest  motives 
and  the  will  to  do  service  to  humanity.  This  is  worship  :  to  serve  man¬ 
kind  and  to  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  people.  Service  is  prayer.  A 
physician  ministering  to  the  sick,  gently,  tenderly,  free  from  prejudice, 
and  believing  in  the  solidarity  of  the  human  race,  is  giving  praise.” — Paris 
Talks ,  second  edition,  p.  164. 

Teaching. 

The  real  Baha’i  will  not  only  believe  in  the  teachings  of 
Baha’u’llah,  but  find  in  them  the  guide  and  inspiration  of  his  whole 
life  and  joyfully  impart  to  others  the  knowledge  that  is  the  well- 
spring  of  his  own  being.  Only  thus  will  he  receive  in  full  measure 
“  the  power  and  confirmation  of  the  Spirit.”  All  cannot  be 
eloquent  speakers  or  ready  writers,  but  all  can  teach  by  “  living  the 
life.”  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  The  people  of  Baha  must  serve  the  Lord  with  wisdom,  teach  others 
by  their  lives,  and  manifest  the  Light  of  God  in  their  deeds.  The  effect 
of  deeds  is  in  truth  more  powerful  than  that  of  words.  .  .  .  The  effect 
of  the  word  spoken  by  the  teacher  depends  upon  his  purity  of  purpose 
and  his  severance.  Some  are  content  with  words,  but  the  truth  of  words 
is  tested  by  deeds  and  dependent  upon  life.  Deeds  reveal  the  station 
of  the  man.  The  words  must  be  according  to  what  has  proceeded  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Will  of  God  and  is  recorded  in  Tablets.” — Words  of 
Wisdom . 

The  Baha’i  will,  however,  on  no  account  force  his  ideas  on 
those  who  do  not  wish  to  hear  them.  He  will  attract  people  to 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  not  try  to  drive  them  into  it.  He  will 
be  like  the  Good  Shepherd  who  leads  his  flock,  and  charms  the 
sheep  by  his  music,  rather  than  like  the  one  who,  from  behind, 
urges  them  on  with  dog  and  stick. 

Baha’u’llah  says  in  the  Hidden  Words  : — 


78  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

“  O  son  of  Dust !  The  wise  are  those  who  open  not  their  lips  unless 
they  find  listeners,  as  the  cup-bearer  never  offers  a  cup  unless  he  finds 
one  who  desires.  .  . 

Again  he  says,  in  the  Tablet  of  Ishraqat  : — 

“  O  people  of  Baha  !  Ye  are  the  dawning-places  of  the  Love  and 
daysprings  of  the  Favour  of  God.  Defile  not  your  tongues  with  cursing 
or  execrating  anyone,  and  guard  your  eyes  from  that  which  is  not  worthy. 
Show  forth  that  which  ye  possess  (i.e.  Truth).  If  it  be  accepted,  the 
aim  is  attained.  If  not,  to  rebuke  or  interfere  with  him  who  rejects  is 
vain.  Leave  him  to  himself,  and  advance  towards  God,  the  Protector, 
the  Self-Subsistent.  Be  not  the  cause  of  sorrow,  how  much  less  of 
sedition  and  strife  !  It  is  hoped  that  ye  may  be  nurtured  in  the  shade 
of  the  tree  of  Divine  Bounty  and  act  as  God  has  willed  for  you.  Ye 
are  all  leaves  of  one  tree  and  drops  of  one  sea.” 


Courtesy  and  Reverence. 

Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  O  people  of  God  !  I  exhort  you  to  courtesy.  Courtesy  is  indeed 
.  .  .  the  lord  of  all  virtues.  Blessed  is  he  who  is  adorned  with  the 
mantle  of  Uprightness  and  illumined  with  the  light  of  Courtesy.  He  who 
is  endowed  with  Courtesy  (or  Reverence)  is  endowed  with  a  great  station. 
It  is  hoped  that  this  wronged  One,  and  all,  will  attain  to  it,  hold  unto 
it  and  observe  it.  This  is  the  Irrefutable  Command  which  hath  flowed 
from  the  pen  of  the  Greatest  Name.” — Tablet  of  the  World . 

Again  and  again  he  repeats  : — 


“  Let  all  the  nations  of  the  world  consort  with  each  other  with  joy 
and  fragrance.  Consort  ye,  O  people,  with  the  people  of  all  religions 
with  joy  and  fragrance.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  in  a  letter  to  the  Baha’is  of  America: — 


Lest  ye  offend  any  heart ! 

Lest  ye  hurt  any  soul ! 

Lest  ye  deal  unkindly  toward  any  person  ! 
Lest  ye  be  the  cause  of  hopelessness  to  any 


“  Beware  !  Beware  ! 

Beware  !  Beware  ! 

Beware  !  Beware  ! 

Beware  !  Beware  ! 
creature  ! 

“  Should  one  become  the  cause  of  grief  to  any  one  heart,  or  of  despon¬ 
dency  to  any  one  soul,  it  were  better  to  hide  oneself  in  the  lowest  depths 
of  the  earth  than  to  walk  upon  the  earth.” 

He  teaches  that  as  the  flower  is  hidden  in  the  bud,  so  a  spirit 
from  God  dwells  in  the  heart  of  every  man,  no  matter  how  hard 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I? 


79 

and  unlovely  his  exterior.  The  true  Baha’i  will  treat  every  man, 
therefore,  as  the  gardener  tends  a  rare  and  beautiful  plant.  He 
knows  that  no  impatient  interference  on  his  part  can  open  the  bud 
into  a  blossom  ;  only  God’s  sunshine  can  do  that,  therefore 
his  aim  is  to  bring  that  life-giving  sunshine  into  all  darkened  hearts 
and  homes. 

Again,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Among  the  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah  is  one  requiring  man,  under 
all  conditions  and  circumstances,  to  be  forgiving,  to  love  his  enemy  and 
to  consider  an  ill-wisher  as  a  well-wisher.  Not  that  one  should  consider 
another  as  an  enemy  and  then  put  up  with  him  .  .  .  and  be  forbearing 
toward  him.  This  is  hypocrisy  and  not  real  love.  Nay,  rather,  you 
must  see  your  enemies  as  friends,  your  ill-wishers  as  well-wishers  and 
treat  them  accordingly.  Your  love  and  kindness  must  be  real  .  .  .  not 
merely  forbearance,  for  forbearance,  if  not  of  the  heart,  is  hypocrisy.’’ 
— Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  iv.  p.  191. 

Such  counsel  appears  unintelligible  and  self-contradictory 
until  we  realize  that  while  the  outer  carnal  man  may  be  a  hater 
and  ill-wisher,  there  is  in  everyone  an  inner,  spiritual  nature 
which  is  the  real  man,  from  whom  only  love  and  goodwill  can 
proceed.  It  is  to  this  real,  inner  man  in  each  of  our  neighbours 
that  we  must  direct  our  thought  and  love.  When  he  awakens 
into  activity,  the  outer  man  will  be  transformed  and  renewed. 

The  Sin^covering  Eye. 

On  no  subject  are  the  Baha’i  teachings  more  imperative  and 
uncompromising  than  on  the  requirement  to  abstain  from  fault¬ 
finding.  Christ  spoke  very  strongly  on  the  same  subject,  but  it 
has  now  become  usual  to  regard  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  as 
embodying  “  Counsels  of  Perfection  ”  which  the  ordinary  Christian 
cannot  be  expected  to  live  up  to.  Both  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  are  at  great  pains  to  make  clear  that  on  this  subject  they  mean 
all  they  say.  We  read  in  the  Hidden  Words  : — 

“  O  son  of  man  !  Breathe  not  the  sins  of  any  man  so  long  as  thou  art 
a  sinner.  If  thou  doest  contrary  to  this  command  thou  art  not  of  Me 
to  this  I  bear  witness. 

“  O  son  of  existence  !  Attribute  not  to  any  soul  that  which  thou  desirest 
not  to  be  attributed  to  thyself.  .  .  .  This  is  My  command  to  thee ; 
obey  it.” 


8o 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


‘Abdu’l-Baha  tells  us  : — 

“  To  be  silent  concerning  the  faults  of  others,  to  pray  for  them,  and 
to  help  them,  through  kindness,  to  correct  their  faults. 

“To  look  always  at  the  good  and  not  at  the  bad.  If  a  man  has  ten 
good  qualities  and  one  bad  one,  to  look  at  the  ten  and  forget  the  one ; 
and  if  a  man  has  ten  bad  qualities  and  one  good  one,  to  look  at  the  one 
and  forget  the  ten. 

“  Never  to  allow  ourselves  to  speak  one  unkind  word  about  another, 
even  though  that  other  be  our  enemy.” 

To  an  American  friend  he  writes  : — 

“  The  worst  human  quality  and  the  most  great  sin  is  backbiting,  more 
especially  when  it  emanates  from  the  tongues  of  the  believers  of  God. 
If  some  means  were  devised  so  that  the  doors  of  back-biting  could  be 
shut  eternally,  and  each  one  of  the  believers  of  God  unsealed  his  lips 
in  praise  of  others,  then  the  teachings  of  His  Holiness  Baha’u’llah  would 
be  spread,  the  hearts  illumined,  the  spirits  glorified,  and  the  human  world 
would  attain  to  everlasting  felicity.” — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  iv.  p.  192. 

Humility. 

While  we  are  commanded  to  overlook  the  faults  of  others, 
and  see  their  virtues,  we  are  commanded,  on  the  other  hand, 
to  find  out  our  own  faults  and  take  no  account  of  our  virtues. 
Baha’u’llah  says  in  the  Hidden  Words  : — 

“  Wherefore  hast  thou  forgotten  thine  own  faults  and  busied  thyself 
with  the  faults  of  others  ?  Whoso  doeth  this  is  condemned  by  Me.” 

“  The  tongue  is  especially  for  the  mention  of  Me  ;  stain  it  not  with 
slander.  If  the  fire  of  self  overcome  you,  be  mindful  to  remember  your 
own  faults,  and  speak  not  evil  of  My  creatures,  because  each  one  of  you  is 
more  conscious  and  better  informed  of  his  own  self  than  of  My  creatures.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Let  your  life  be  an  emanation  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  He  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister.  ...  In  the  religion  of 
Baha’u’llah  all  are  servants  and  maid-servants,  brothers  and  sisters.  As 
soon  as  one  feels  a  little  better  than,  a  little  superior  to,  the  rest,  he  is  in 
a  dangerous  position,  and  unless  he  casts  away  the  seed  of  such  an  evil 
thought,  he  is  not  a  fit  instrument  for  the  service  of  the  Kingdom.” 

“  Dissatisfaction  with  oneself  is  a  sign  of  progress.  The  soul  who  is 
satisfied  with  himself  is  the  manifestation  of  Satan,  and  the  one  who  is  not 
contented  with  himself  is  the  manifestation  of  the  Merciful.  If  a  person 
has  a  thousand  good  qualities  he  must  not  look  at  them ;  nay,  rather  he 


WHAT  IS  A  BAHA’I? 


81 


must  strive  to  find  out  his  own  defects  and  imperfections.  .  .  .  However 
much  a  man  may  progress,  yet  he  is  imperfect,  because  there  is  always  a 
point  ahead  of  him.  No  sooner  does  he  look  up  towards  that  point 
than  he  becomes  dissatisfied  with  his  own  condition,  and  aspires  to  attain 
to  that.  Praising  one’s  own  self  is  the  sign  of  selfishness.” — Diary  of 
Mirza  Afymad  Sohrab ,  1914. 

Although  we  are  commanded  to  recognize  and  sincerely  repent 
of  our  sins,  the  practice  of  confession  to  priests  or  others  is  definitely 
forbidden.  Baha’u’llah  says  in  the  Glad  Tidings  : — 

“  The  sinner,  when  his  heart  is  free  from  all  save  God,  must  seek  for¬ 
giveness  from  God  alone.  Confession  before  the  servants  (i.e.  before 
men)  is  not  permissible,  for  it  is  not  the  means  or  the  cause  of  Divine 
Forgiveness.  Such  confession  before  the  creatures  leads  to  one’s  humilia¬ 
tion  and  abasement,  and  God — exalted  be  His  Glory — does  not  wish 
for  the  humiliation  of  His  servants.  Verily  He  is  Compassionate  and  Bene¬ 
ficent.  The  sinner  must,  between  himself  and  God,  beg  for  mercy  from 
the  Sea  of  Mercy  and  implore  pardon  from  the  Heaven  of  Forgiveness.” 

Truthfulness  and  Honesty. 

Baha’u’llah  says  in  the  Tablet  of  Tarazat  : — 

“  Verily,  Honesty  is  the  door  of  tranquillity  to  all  in  the  world,  and 
the  sign  of  glory  from  the  presence  of  the  Merciful  One.  Whosoever 
attains  thereto  has  attained  to  treasures  of  wealth  and  affluence.  Honesty 
is  the  greatest  door  to  the  security  and  tranquillity  of  mankind.  The 
stability  of  every  affair  always  depends  on  it,  and  the  worlds  of  honour, 
glory  and  affluence  are  illumined  by  its  light.  .  .  . 

“  O  people  of  Baha  !  Honesty  is  the  best  garment  for  your  temples 
and  the  most  splendid  crown  for  your  heads.  Adhere  thereto  by  the 
Command  of  the  Omnipotent  Commander.” 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  The  principle  of  faith  is  to  lessen  words  and  to  increase  deeds.  He 
whose  words  exceed  his  acts,  know  verily,  that  his  non-being  is  better 
than  his  being,  his  death  better  than  his  life.” — Words  of  Wisdom. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Truthfulness  is  the  foundation  of  all  the  virtues  of  mankind.  With¬ 
out  truthfulness,  progress  and  success  in  all  of  the  worlds  are  impossible 
for  a  soul.  When  this  holy  attribute  is  established  in  man,  all  the  other 
divine  qualities  will  also  become  realized.” — Tablets  of  ‘Abdu’l-Babay 
vol.  ii.  p.  459. 


6 


82 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  Let  the  light  of  truth  and  honesty  shine  from  your  faces  so  that  all 
may  know  that  your  word,  in  business  or  pleasure,  is  a  word  to  trust  and 
be  sure  of.  Forget  self  and  work  for  the  whole  ”  (message  to  the 
London  Baha’is,  October  1 9 1 1). 

Self-realization. 

Baha’u’llah  constantly  urges  men  to  realize  and  give  full 
expression  to  the  perfections  latent  within  them — the  true  inner 
self  as  distinguished  from  the  limited  outer  self,  which  at  best  is 
but  the  temple,  and  too  often  is  the  prison  of  the  real  man.  In 
the  Hidden  Words  he  says  : — 

“  O  son  of  existence  !  By  the  Hands  of  Power  I  have  made  thee,  and 
by  the  Fingers  of  Strength  have  created  thee.  I  have  placed  in  thee 
the  essence  of  My  Light ;  therefore  depend  upon  it,  and  upon  nothing 
else ;  for  My  action  is  perfect  and  My  command  has  effect.  Doubt 
this  not,  and  have  no  uncertainty  therein.” 

“  O  son  of  Spirit !  I  have  created  thee  rich,  why  dost  thou  make 
tnyself  poor  ?  Noble  have  I  made  thee,  why  dost  thou  degrade  thyself  ? 
Of  the  essence  of  knowledge  have  I  manifested  thee,  why  searchest  thou 
for  another  than  Me  ?  From  the  clay  of  Love  have  I  kneaded  thee,  why 
seekest  thou  another  ?  Turn  thy  sight  unto  thyself,  that  thou  mayest 
find  Me  standing  within  thee,  Powerful,  Mighty,  and  Supreme.” 

“  O  my  servant !  Thou  art  like  a  sword  of  rarest  temper  and  lustre, 
enclosed  in  a  dark  sheath,  by  reason  of  which  its  quality  remains  con¬ 
cealed  from  the  craftsmen.  Then  come  forth  from  the  sheath  of  self 
and  desire,  that  thy  lustre  may  gleam  forth  resplendent  and  manifest 
to  all  the  world.” 

“  O  my  friend  !  Thou  art  the  day-star  of  the  Heavens  of  Holi¬ 
ness,  let  not  the  defilement  of  the  world  eclipse  thy  splendour.  Rend 
asunder  the  veil  of  negligence  that,  without  veil  or  covering,  thou  mayest 
emerge  resplendent  and  array  all  beings  with  the  robe  of  life.” 

The  life  to  which  Baha’u’llah  calls  his  followers  is  surely  one 
of  such  nobility  that  in  all  the  vast  range  of  human  possibility 
there  is  nothing  more  lofty  or  beautiful  to  which  man  could 
aspire.  Realization  of  the  spiritual  self  in  ourselves  means  realiza¬ 
tion  of  the  sublime  truth  that  we  are  from  God  and  to  Him  we 
shall  return.  This  return  to  God  is  the  glorious  goal  of  the 
Baha’i  ;  but  to  attain  this  goal  the  only  path  is  that  of  obedience 
to  His  chosen  Messengers,  and  especially  to  His  Messenger  for 
the  time  in  which  we  live,  Baha’u’llah,  the  prophet  of  the 
New  Era. 


CHAPTER  VI 


PRAYER 

Prayer  is  a  ladder  by  which  everyone  may  ascend  to  Heaven.” — 

Muhammad. 

♦ 

Conversation  with  God. 

“  Prayer,”  says  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  “  is  conversation  with  God.” 
In  order  that  God  may  make  known  His  Mind  and  Will  to  men, 
He  must  speak  to  them  in  a  language  which  they  can  understand, 
and  this  He  does  by  the  mouths  of  His  Holy  Prophets.  While 
these  Prophets  are  alive  in  the  body  they  speak  with  men  face  to 
face  and  convey  to  them  the  Message  of  God,  and  after  their  death 
their  message  continues  to  reach  men’s  minds  through  their  recorded 
sayings  and  writings.  But  this  is  not  the  only  way  in  which  God 
can  speak  with  men.  There  is  a  “  language  of  the  Spirit,”  which 
is  independent  of  speech  or  writing,  by  which  God  can  commune 
with  and  inspire  those  whose  hearts  are  seeking  after  truth, 
wherever  they  are,  and  whatever  their  native  race  or  tongue.  By 
this  language  the  Manifestation  continues  to  hold  converse  with 
the  faithful  after  his  departure  from  the  material  world.  Christ 
continued  to  converse  with  and  inspire  His  disciples  after  His 
crucifixion.  In  fact  He  influenced  them  more  powerfully  than 
before  ;  and  with  other  prophets  it  has  been  the  same.  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  speaks  much  of  this  spiritual  language.  He  says,  for 
instance  : — 

“We  should  speak  in  the  language  of  heaven — in  the  language  of  the 
spirit — for  there  is  a  language  of  the  spirit  and  heart.  It  is  as  different 
from  our  language  as  our  own  language  is  different  from  that  of  the 
animals,  who  express  themselves  only  by  cries  and  sounds. 

“  It  is  the  language  of  the  spirit  which  speaks  to  God.  When,  in 

83 


1 


84  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

prayer,  we  are  freed  from  all  outward  things  and  turn  to  God,  then  it  is 
as  if  in  our  hearts  we  hear  the  voice  of  God.  Without  words  we  speak, 
we  communicate,  we  converse  with  God  and  hear  the  answer.  .  .  .  All 
of  us,  when  we  attain  to  a  truly  spiritual  condition,  can  hear  the  Voice  of 
God  ”  (from  a  talk  reported  by  Miss  Ethel  J.  Rosenberg). 

Baha’u’llah  declares  that  the  higher  spiritual  truths  can  be 
communicated  only  by  means  of  this  spiritual  language.  The 
spoken  or  written  word  is  quite  inadequate.  In  a  little  book  called 
The  Seven  Valleys ,  in  which  he  describes  the  journey  of  travellers 
from  the  early  dwelling  to  the  Divine  Home,  he  says,  in  speaking 
of  the  more  advanced  stages  of  the  journey  : — 

“  The  tongue  is  unable  to  give  an  account  of  these,  and  utterance  falls 
exceedingly  short.  The  pen  is  useless  in  this  court,  and  the  ink  gives 
no  result  but  blackness.  .  .  .  Heart  alone  can  communicate  to  heart 
the  state  of  the  knower ;  this  is  not  the  work  of  a  messenger,  nor  can  it 
be  contained  in  letters.” 


The  Devotional  Attitude. 

In  order  that  we  may  attain  the  spiritual  condition  in  which 
conversation  with  God  becomes  possible,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  We  must  strive  to  attain  to  that  condition  by  being  separated  from 
all  things  and  from  the  people  of  the  world  and  by  turning  to  God  alone. 
It  will  take  some  effort  on  the  part  of  man  to  attain  to  that  condition, 
but  he  must  work  for  it,  strive  for  it.  We  can  attain  to  it  by  thinking 
and  caring  less  for  material  things  and  more  for  the  spiritual.  The  further 
we  go  from  the  one,  the  nearer  we  are  to  the  other.  The  choice  is  ours. 

“  Our  spiritual  perception,  our  inward  sight  must  be  opened,  so  that 
we  can  see  the  signs  and  traces  of  God’s  Spirit  in  everything.  Everything 
can  reflect  to  us  the  light  of  the  Spirit  ”  (from  a  talk  reported  by  Miss 
Ethel  J.  Rosenberg). 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  The  highest  and  most  elevating  state  is  the  state  of  prayer.  Prayer 
is  communion  with  God.  .  .  .  The  worshipper  must  pray  with  a  detached 
spirit,  unconditional  surrender  of  the  will,  concentrated  attention  and 
spiritual  passion.  .  .  .  Automatic,  formal  prayers  which  do  not  touch 
the  core  of  the  heart  are  of  no  avail. 

“  How  sweet,  how  delicious,  how  satisfying,  how  spiritual  is  prayer 
in  the  middle  of  the  night !  While  other  eyes  are  closed,  the  eyes  of 
the  worshipper  are  wide  open.  While  other  ears  are  stopped,  the  ears 
of  the  suppliant  are  attuned  to  the  subtle  music  of  God.  While  others 


PRAYER 


85 

are  fast  asleep,  the  adorer  of  the  Ideal  Beloved  is  wakeful.  All  around 
him  there  is  a  rare  and  delicate  silence,  calm,  magical  and  subtle — and 
there  is  the  worshipper,  communing  with  nature  and  the  Author  of  nature.” 
— Diary  of  Mirza  Ahmad  Sohrab ,  September  3,  1914. 

Necessity  for  a  Mediator. 

According  to  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  : — 

“  A  mediator  is  necessary  between  man  and  the  Creator — one  who 
receives  the  full  light  of  the  Divine  Splendour  and  radiates  it  over  the 
human  world,  as  the  earth’s  atmosphere  receives  and  diffuses  the  warmth 
of  the  sun’s  rays.” — Divine  Philosophy ,  p.  8. 

“  If  we  wish  to  pray,  we  must  have  some  object  on  which  to  concen¬ 
trate.  If  we  turn  to  God,  we  must  direct  our  hearts  to  a  certain  centre. 
If  man  worships  God  otherwise  than  through  His  Manifestation,  he 
must  first  form  a  conception  of  God,  and  that  conception  is  created  by 
his  own  mind.  As  the  finite  cannot  comprehend  the  Infinite,  so  God 
is  not  to  be  comprehended  in  this  fashion.  That  which  man  conceives 
with  his  own  mind  he  comprehends.  That  which  he  can  comprehend 
is  not  God.  That  conception  of  God  which  a  man  forms  for  himself 
is  but  a  phantasm,  an  image,  an  imagination,  an  illusion.  There  is  no 
connection  between  such  a  conception  and  the  Supreme  Being. 

“  If  a  man  wishes  to  know  God,  he  must  find  Him  in  the  perfect  mirror, 
Christ  or  Baha’u’llah.  In  either  of  these  mirrors  he  will  see  reflected 
the  Sun  of  Divinity. 

“  As  we  know  the  physical  sun  by  its  splendour,  by  its  light  and  heat, 
so  we  know  God,  the  Spiritual  Sun,  when  He  shines  forth  from  the 
temple  of  Manifestation,  by  His  attributes  of  perfection,  by  the  beauty 
of  His  qualities  and  by  the  splendour  of  His  light”  (from  a  talk  to 
Mr.  Percy  Woodcock,  at  ‘Akka,  1909). 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  Unless  the  Holy  Spirit  become  intermediary,  one  cannot  attain 
directly  to  the  bounties  of  God.  Do  not  overlook  the  obvious  truths, 
for  it  is  self-evident  that  a  child  cannot  be  instructed  without  a  teacher, 
and  knowledge  is  one  of  the  bounties  of  God.  The  soil  is  not  covered 
with  grass  and  vegetation  without  the  rain  of  the  cloud  ;  therefore  the 
cloud  is  the  intermediary  between  the  divine  bounties  and  the  soil.  .  .  . 
The  light  hath  a  centre  and  if  one  desire  to  seek  it  otherwise  than  from 
the  centre,  one  can  never  attain  to  it.  .  .  .  Turn  thine  attention  to  the 
days  of  Christ ;  some  people  imagined  that  without  the  Messianic  out¬ 
pourings  it  was  possible  to  attain  to  truth,  but  this  very  imagination 
became  the  cause  of  their  deprivation.” — Tablets  of1  Abdii  l-Baka,  vol.  iii. 
pp.  591,  592. 

A  man  who  tries  to  worship  God  without  turning  to  His 


86 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


Manifestation  is  like  a  man  in  a  dungeon  trying  through  his 
imagination  to  revel  in  the  glories  of  the  sunshine. 

Prayer  Indispensable  and  Obligatory. 

The  use  of  prayer  is  enjoined  upon  Baha’is  in  no  uncertain 
terms.  Baha’u’llah  says  in  the  Kitabu' l-Aqdas  : — 

“  Chant  (or  recite)  the  Words  of  God  every  morning  and  evening. 
The  one  who  neglects  this  has  not  been  faithful  to  the  Covenant  of  God 
and  His  agreement,  and  he  who  turns  away  from  it  to-day  is  of  those  who 
have  turned  away  from  God.  Fear  God,  O  my  people  !  Let  not 
too  much  reading  (of  the  Sacred  Word)  and  actions  by  day  or  night 
make  you  proud.  To  chant  but  one  verse  with  joy  and  gladness  is  better 
for  you  than  reading  all  the  Revelations  of  the  Omnipotent  God  with 
carelessness.  Chant  the  Tablets  of  God  in  such  measure  that  ye  be 
not  overtaken  with  fatigue  and  depression.  Burden  not  the  soul  so  as  to 
cause  exhaustion  and  languor,  but  rather  refresh  it  that  thus  it  may  soar 
on  the  wings  of  Revelation  to  the  Dawning-place  of  proofs.  This  brings 
you  nearer  to  God,  were  ye  of  those  who  understand.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  to  a  correspondent  : — 

“  O  thou  spiritual  friend  !  Know  thou  that  prayer  is  indispensable  and 
obligatory,  and  man  under  no  pretext  whatever  is  excused  therefrom 
unless  he  be  mentally  unsound  or  an  insurmountable  obstacle  prevent 
him.” — Tablets  of 1  Abdul l-Baha,  vol.  iii.  p.  683. 

Another  correspondent  asked  :  “  Why  pray  ?  What  is  the 
wisdom  thereof,  for  God  has  established  everything  and  executes 
all  affairs  after  the  best  order — therefore,  what  is  the  wisdom  in 
beseeching  and  supplicating  and  in  stating  one’s  wants  and  seeking 
help  ?  ” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  replied  : — 

“  Know  thou,  verily,  it  is  becoming  in  a  weak  one  to  supplicate  to 
the  Strong  One,  and  it  behoveth  a  seeker  of  bounty  to  beseech  the  Glorious 
Bountiful  One.  When  One  supplicates  to  his  Lord,  turns  to  Him  and 
seeks  bounty  from  His  Ocean,  this  supplication  brings  light  to  his  heart, 
illumination  to  his  sight,  life  to  his  soul  and  exaltation  to  his  being. 

“  During  thy  supplications  to  God  and  thy  reciting :  ‘  Thy  Name  is 
my  healing,’  consider  how  thine  heart  is  cheered,  thy  soul  delighted  by 
the  spirit  of  the  love  of  God,  and  thy  mind  attracted  to  the  Kingdom  of 
God  !  By  these  attractions  one’s  ability  and  capacity  increase.  When 
the  vessel  is  enlarged  the  water  increases,  and  when  the  thirst  grows  the 


PRAYER 


87 

bounty  of  the  cloud  becomes  agreeable  to  the  taste  of  man.  This  is 
the  mystery  of  supplication  and  the  wisdom  of  stating  one’s  wants  ” 
(from  a  tablet  to  an  American  believer,  translated  by  ‘All  Qull  Khan, 
October  1908). 

Prayer  the  Language  of  Love. 

To  another  who  asked  whether  prayer  was  necessary,  since 
presumably  God  knows  the  wishes  of  all  hearts,  he  replied  : — 

“  If  one  friend  feels  love  for  another  he  will  wish  to  say  so.  Though 
he  knows  that  the  friend  is  aware  that  he  loves  him,  he  will  still  wish  to 
say  so.  .  .  .  God  knows  the  wishes  of  all  hearts,  but  the  impulse  to 
pray  is  a  natural  one,  springing  from  man’s  love  to  God.  .  .  . 

“  Prayer  need  not  be  in  words  but  in  thought  and  attitude.  If  this  love 
and  desire  are  lacking,  it  is  useless  to  try  and  force  them.  Words  without 
love  mean  nothing.  If  a  person  talks  to  you  as  an  unpleasant  duty,  with 
no  love  or  pleasure  in  his  meeting  with  you,  do  you  wish  to  converse 
with  him?”  (article  in  Fortnightly  Review ,  June  19 n,  by  Miss 
E.  S.  Stevens). 

In  another  talk  he  said  : — 

“  In  the  highest  prayer,  men  pray  only  for  the  love  of  God,  not  because 
they  fear  Him  or  hell,  or  hope  for  bounty  or  heaven.  .  .  .  When  a  man 
falls  in  love  with  a  human  being,  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  keep  from 
mentioning  the  name  of  his  beloved.  How  much  more  difficult  is  it  to 
keep  from  mentioning  the  Name  of  God  when  one  has  come  to  love 
Him.  .  .  .  The  spiritual  man  finds  no  delight  in  anything  save  in  com¬ 
memoration  of  God  ”  (from  notes  of  Miss  Alma  Robertson  and  other 
pilgrims,  November  and  December  1900). 

Congregational  Prayer. 

Regarding  the  value  of  United  or  Congregational  Prayer, 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  spoke  as  follows  : — 

“  Man  may  say :  ‘I  can  pray  to  God  whenever  I  wish,  when  the 
feelings  of  my  heart  are  drawn  to  God  ;  when  I  am  in  the  wilderness, 
when  I  am  in  the  city,  or  wherever  I  may  be.  Why  should  I  go  where 
others  are  gathered  upon  a  special  day,  at  a  certain  hour,  to  unite  my 
prayers  with  theirs,  when  I  may  not  be  in  a  frame  of  mind  for  praying  ?  ’ 

“To  think  in  this  way  is  useless  imagination,  for  where  many  are 
gathered  together  their  force  is  greater.  Separate  soldiers  fighting  alone 
and  individually  have  not  the  force  of  a  united  army.  If  all  the  soldiers 
in  this  spiritual  war  gather  together,  then  their  united  spiritual  feelings 
help  each  other,  and  their  prayers  become  acceptable  ”  (from  notes 
taken  by  Miss  Ethel  J.  Rosenberg). 


88  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

Deliverance  from  Calamities. 

According  to  the  teaching  of  the  prophets,  disease  and  all  other 
forms  of  calamity  are  due  to  disobedience  to  the  Divine  Commands. 
Even  disasters  due  to  floods,  hurricanes  and  earthquakes  are 
attributed  by  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  indirectly  to  this  cause.  Referring 
to  such  he  says  : — 

“  Events  like  these  happen  because  of  the  connection  between  the  parts 
of  the  universe,  for  every  small  part  has  connection  with  every  great  part, 
and  what  affects  one  affects  the  other  or  all  the  others.  On  account  of 
this  connection,  the  actions  of  man  have  effect.  Whenever  a  promise 
is  broken  it  causes  a  commotion.  For  instance,  suppose  two  nations 
have  a  disagreement.  It  is  a  difference  in  ideas  only,  and  not  a  physical 
thing ;  not  anything  that  we  can  touch  or  see,  yet  this  disagreement 
has  a  physical  effect.  It  causes  war,  and  thousands  of  men  are  cut  in 
pieces.  So,  when  man  breaks  his  promise  to  God,  in  other  words,  when 
he  4  breaks  the  Covenant,’  the  effect  is  physical  and  calamities  appear.” 
— Daily  Lessons  Received  at  Acca ,  p.  25. 

The  suffering  that  follows  error  is  not  vindictive,  however, 
but  educative  and  remedial.  It  is  God’s  Voice  proclaiming  to 
man  that  he  has  strayed  from  the  right  path.  If  the  suffering  is 
terrible,  it  is  only  because  the  danger  of  wrongdoing  is  more 
terrible,  for  “  the  wages  of  sin  is  death.” 

Just  as  calamity  is  due  to  disobedience,  so  deliverance  from 
calamity  can  be  obtained  only  by  obedience.  There  is  no  chance 
or  uncertainty  about  the  matter.  Turning  from  God  inevitably 
brings  disaster,  and  turning  to  God  as  inevitably  brings  blessing. 

As  the  whole  of  humanity  is  one  organism,  however,  the  welfare 
of  each  individual  depends  not  only  on  his  own  behaviour,  but 
on  that  of  his  neighbours.  If  one  does  wrong,  all  suffer  in  greater 
or  less  degree  ;  while  if  one  does  well,  all  benefit.  Each  has  to 
bear  his  neighbour’s  burdens,  to  some  extent,  and  the  best  of  man¬ 
kind  are  those  who  bear  the  biggest  burdens.  The  saints  have 
always  suffered  abundantly  ;  the  prophets  have  suffered  super¬ 
latively.  Baha’u’llah  says  in  the  Book  of  Iqan  : — 

“  For  it  is  heard  how  every  prophet  and  his  companions  have  suffered 
adversities,  such  as  poverty,  diseases  and  contempt;  how  the  heads  of 
their  followers  were  sent  as  presents  in  the  cities.” 

This  is  not  because  the  saints  and  prophets  have  merited  punish- 


PRAYER 


89 

ment  above  other  men.  Nay,  they  often  suffer  for  the  sins  of 
others,  and  choose  to  suffer,  for  the  sake  of  others.  Their  concern 
is  for  the  world’s  welfare,  not  for  their  own.  The  prayer  of  the 
true  lover  of  humanity  is  not  that  he,  as  an  individual,  may  escape 
poverty,  ill-health  or  disaster,  but  that  mankind  may  be  saved  from 
ignorance  and  error  and  the  ills  that  inevitably  flow  from  them. 
If  he  wishes  health  or  wealth  for  himself,  it  is  in  order  that  he  may 
serve  the  Kingdom,  and  if  physical  health  and  wealth  are  denied 
him,  he  accepts  his  lot  with  “  radiant  acquiescence,”  well  knowing 
that  there  is  a  right  wisdom  in  whatever  befalls  him  in  the  Path 
of  God. 

‘Abdu’I-Baha  says  : — 

“  Grief  and  sorrow  do  not  come  to  us  by  chance ;  they  are  sent  by 
the  Divine  Mercy  for  our  perfecting.  When  grief  and  sorrow  come, 
then  will  a  man  remember  his  Father  who  is  in  Heaven,  who  is  able  to 
deliver  him  from  his  humiliations.  The  more  a  man  is  chastened,  the 
greater  is  the  harvest  of  spiritual  virtues  shown  forth  by  him.” — Paris 
Talks ,  p.  45. 

At  first  sight  it  may  seem  very  unjust  that  the  innocent  should 
suffer  for  the  guilty,  but  ‘Abdu’I-Baha  assures  us  that  the  injustice 
is  only  apparent  and  that,  in  the  long  run,  perfect  justice  prevails. 
He  writes  : — 

“  As  to  the  subject  of  babes  and  children  and  weak  ones  who  are  afflicted 
by  the  hands  of  the  oppressors  ...  for  those  souls  there  is  a  recompense 
in  another  world  .  .  .  that  suffering  is  the  greatest  mercy  of  God. 
Verily  that  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  far  better  than  all  the  comfort  of  this 
world  and  the  growth  and  development  appertaining  to  this  place  of 
mortality.” — Tablets  of ‘  Abdu l-Baha,  vol.  ii.  p.  337. 


Prayer  and  Natural  Law, 

Many  find  a  difficulty  in  believing  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer 
because  they  think  that  answers  to  prayer  would  involve  arbitrary 
interference  with  the  laws  of  nature.  An  analogy  may  help 
to  remove  this  difficulty.  If  a  magnet  be  held  over  some  iron 
filings  the  latter  will  fly  upwards  and  cling  to  it,  but  this  involves 
no  interference  with  the  law  of  gravitation.  The  force  of  gravity 
continues  to  act  on  the  filings  just  as  before.  What  has  happened 
is  that  a  superior  force  has  been  brought  into  play — another  force 


90 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


whose  action  is  just  as  regular  and  calculable  as  that  of  gravity 
The  Baha’i  view  is  that  prayer  brings  into  action  higher  forces, 
as  yet  comparatively  little  known  ;  but  there  seems  no  reason  to 
believe  that  these  forces  are  more  arbitrary  in  their  action  than  the 
physical  forces.  The  difference  is  that  they  have  not  yet  been 
fully  studied  and  experimentally  investigated,  and  their  action 
appears  mysterious  and  incalculable  because  of  our  ignorance. 

Another  difficulty  which  some  find  perplexing  is  that  prayer 
seems  too  feeble  a  force  to  produce  the  great  results  often  claimed 
for  it.  Analogy  may  serve  to  clear  up  this  difficulty  also.  A 
small  force,  when  applied  to  the  sluice-gate  of  a  reservoir,  may 
release  and  regulate  an  enormous  flow  of  water-power,  or,  when 
applied  to  the  steering-gear  of  an  ocean  liner,  may  control  the  course 
of  the  huge  vessel.  In  the  Baha’i  view,  the  power  that  brings 
about  answers  to  prayer  is  the  inexhaustible  Power  of  God.  The 
part  of  the  suppliant  is  only  to  exert  the  feeble  force  necessary  to 
release  the  flow  or  determine  the  course  of  the  Divine  Bounty, 
which  is  ever  ready  to  serve  those  who  have  learned  how  to  draw 
upon  it. 

Baha’i  Prayers. 

Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  have  revealed  innumerable  prayers 
for  the  use  of  their  followers  at  various  times  and  for  various 
purposes.  The  greatness  of  conception  and  depth  of  spirituality 
revealed  in  these  utterances  must  impress  every  thoughtful  student, 
but  only  by  making  their  use  a  regular  and  important  part  of  one’s 
daily  life  can  their  significance  be  fully  appreciated  and  their  power 
for  good  realized.  Unfortunately,  considerations  of  space  prevent 
our  giving  more  than  a  very  few  short  specimens  of  these  prayers. 
For  further  examples  the  reader  must  be  referred  to  works 
mentioned  in  the  Bibliography. 

“  O  my  God  !  Make  Thy  Beauty  to  be  my  food  and  let  Thy  Presence 
be  my  drink.  Let  my  trust  be  in  Thy  Will,  and  my  deeds  according 
to  Thy  Command.  Let  my  service  be  acceptable  to  Thee,  and  my  action 
a  praise  to  Thee.  Let  my  help  come  only  from  Thee,  and  ordain  my 
home  to  be  Thy  holy  Mansion.  Thou  art  the  Precious,  the  Ever- 
Present,  the  Loving.” — Baha’u’llah. 

“  I  bear  witness,  O  Lord,  my  God  !  that  Thou  hast  created  me  to 
know  Thee  and  to  adore  Thee.  I  testify  at  this  moment  to  my  feebleness 


PRAYER 


9i 

and  to  Thy  Might,  to  my  poverty  and  to  Thy  Wealth.  There 
is  none  other  God  but  Thee,  the  Protector,  the  Self-Subsisting !  ” 
— Baha’u’llah. 

“  O  my  God  !  O  my  God  !  Unite  the  hearts  of  Thy  servants, 
and  reveal  to  them  Thy  great  Purpose.  May  they  follow  thy  Command¬ 
ments  and  abide  in  Thy  Law.  Help  them,  O  God,  in  their  endeavour, 
and  grant  them  strength  to  serve  Thee.  O  God  !  Leave  them  not 
to  themselves,  but  guide  their  steps  by  the  light  of  Knowledge,  and  cheer 
their  hearts  by  Thy  Love.  Verily,  Thou  art  their  Helper  and  their 
Lord  !  ” — Baha’u’llah. 

“  O  Thou  kind  Lord  !  Thou  hast  created  all  humanity  from  the 
same  stock.  Thou  hast  decreed  that  all  shall  belong  to  the  same  house¬ 
hold.  In  Thy  Holy  Presence  they  are  all  Thy  servants,  and  all  mankind 
are  sheltered  beneath  Thy  Tabernacle ;  all  have  gathered  together 
at  Thy  Table  of  Bounty;  all  are  illumined  through  the  light  of  Thy 
Providence. 

“  O  God  !  Thou  art  kind  to  all,  Thou  hast  provided  for  all,  dost 
shelter  all,  conferrest  life  upon  all,  Thou  hast  endowed  each  and  all  with 
talents  and  faculties,  and  all  are  submerged  in  the  Ocean  of  Thy  Mercy. 

“  O  Thou  kind  Lord  !  Unite  all.  Let  the  religions  agree  and  make 
the  nations  one,  so  that  they  may  see  each  other  as  one  family  and  the 
whole  earth  as  one  home.  May  they  all  live  together  in  perfect  harmony. 

“  O  God,  Raise  aloft  the  banner  of  the  oneness  of  mankind. 

“  O  God  !  Establish  the  Most  Great  Peace. 

“  Cement  Thou,  O  God,  the  hearts  together. 

“  O  Thou  kind  Father,  God  !  Gladden  our  hearts  through  the 
fragrance  of  Thy  love.  Brighten  our  eyes  through  the  Light  of  Thy 
Guidance.  Delight  our  ears  with  the  melody  of  Thy  Word,  and  shelter 
us  all  in  the  Stronghold  of  Thy  Providence. 

“  Thou  art  the  Mighty  and  Powerful,  Thou  art  the  Forgiving  and 
Thou  art  the  One  who  overlookest  the  shortcomings  of  all  mankind  !  ” 
— ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

“  O  Thou  Almighty  !  I  am  a  sinner,  but  Thou  art  the  Forgiver  ! 
I  am  full  of  shortcomings,  but  Thou  art  the  Compassionate  !  I  am 
in  the  darkness  of  error,  but  Thou  art  the  Light  of  Pardon  ! 

“  Therefore,  O  Thou  Benevolent  God,  forgive  my  sins,  grant  thy 
Bestowals,  overlook  my  faults,  provide  for  me  a  shelter,  immerse  me 
in  the  Fountain  of  Thy  Patience  and  heal  me  of  all  sickness  and  disease. 

“  Purify  and  sanctify  me.  Give  me  a  portion  from  the  outpouring 
of  holiness,  so  that  sorrow  and  sadness  may  vanish,  joy  and  happiness 
descend,  despondency  and  hopelessness  be  changed  into  cheerfulness  and 
trustfulness,  and  courage  take  the  place  of  fear. 

“  Verily  Thou  art  the  Forgiver,  the  Compassionate,  and  Thou  art 
the  Generous,  the  Beloved  !  ” — ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 


92 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  O  Thou  Compassionate  God  !  Bestow  upon  me  a  heart  which 
like  a  mirror  may  be  illumined  with  the  Light  of  Thy  Love  ;  and  inspire 
me  with  thoughts  which  may  change  the  world  into  a  rose  garden,  through 
the  Spiritual  Bounty. 

“  Thou  art  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful,  the  All-Bountiful !  ” 
— ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

Baha’i  prayer  is  not,  however,  confined  to  the  use  of  prescribed 
forms,  important  as  those  are.  Baha’u’llah  teaches  that  one’s 
whole  life  should  be  a  prayer,  that  work  done  in  the  right  spirit 
is  worship,  that  every  thought,  word  and  deed  devoted  to  the 
Glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  one’s  fellows  is  prayer,  in  the  truest 
sense  of  the  word.1 


1  On  the  subject  of  Intercessory  Prayer,  see  Chapter  XI,  p.  167. 


CHAPTER  VII 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 

**  Turning  the  face  towards  God  brings  healing  to  the  body,  the  mind  and 
the  soul.” — ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

Body  and  Soul. 

According  to  the  Baha’i  teaching  the  human  body  serves  a 
temporary  purpose  in  the  development  of  the  soul,  and,  when  that 
purpose  has  been  served,  is  laid  aside  ;  just  as  the  egg-shell  serves 
a  temporary  purpose  in  the  development  of  the  chick,  and,  when 
that  purpose  has  been  served,  is  broken  and  discarded.  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  says  that  the  physical  body  is  incapable  of  immortality,  for 
it  is  a  composite  thing,  built  up  of  atoms  and  molecules,  and, 
like  all  things  that  are  composed,  must,  in  time,  become 
decomposed. 

The  body  should  be  the  servant  of  the  soul,  never  its  master, 
but  it  should  be  a  willing,  obedient  and  efficient  servant,  and  should 
be  treated  with  the  consideration  which  a  good  servant  deserves. 
If  it  is  not  properly  treated,  disease  and  disaster  result,  with  injurious 
consequences  to  master  as  well  as  servant. 

Oneness  of  All  Life. 

The  essential  oneness  of  all  the  myriad  forms  and  grades  of  life 
is  one  of  the  fundamental  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah.  Our  physical 
health  is  so  linked  up  with  our  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  health, 
and  also  with  the  individual  and  social  health  of  our  fellow-men, 
nay,  even  with  the  life  of  the  animals  and  plants,  that  each  of  these 
is  affected  by  the  others  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  is  usually 
realized. 

There  is  no  command  of  the  prophet,  therefore,  to  whatever 

93 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


94 

department  of  life  it  may  primarily  refer,  which  does  not  concern 
bodily  health.  Certain  of  the  teachings,  however,  have  a  more 
direct  bearing  on  physical  health  than  others,  and  these  we  may 
now  proceed  to  examine. 

Simple  Life. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  How  complex  is  the  life  of  the  present  age,  and  how  much  more 
complex  we  are  making  it  daily  !  The  needs  of  humanity  seem  never 
to  come  to  an  end.  The  more  men  accumulate,  the  more  they  want. 
There  is  only  one  way  of  freedom,  and  that  is  by  shutting  our  eyes  to 
these  things  that  distract  the  mind.  .  .  .  The  mind  of  a  contented  man 
is  always  peaceful  and  his  heart  is  at  rest.  He  is  like  a  monarch  ruling 
over  the  whole  world  How  happily  such  a  man  helps  himself  to  his 
frugal  meals !  How  peacefully  he  sleeps !  ” — Diary  of  Mirza  Ahmacl 
Sohrab ,  September  and  October  1913,  and  August  1914. 

Animal  food  is  not  forbidden,  but  a  simple  vegetarian  diet  is 
recommended  on  both  humanitarian  and  hygienic  grounds. 
‘Abdu’l-Baha,  while  allowing  that  under  existing  conditions 
a  certain  amount  of  meat  in  the  diet  is  in  some  cases  necessary 
or  advisable,  says  : — 

“  The  food  of  the  future  will  be  fruit  and  grains.  The  time  will 
come  when  meat  will  no  longer  be  eaten.  Medical  science  is  only 
in  its  infancy,  yet  it  has  shown  that  our  natural  food  is  that  which  grows 
out  of  the  ground.” — Ten  Days  in  the  Light  of  Acca,  by  Julia  M.  Grundy. 

Alcohol  and  Narcotics. 

The  use  of  intoxicants  and  narcotics,  except  as  remedies  in  case 
of  illness,  is  strictly  forbidden  by  Baha’u’llah.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
writes  : — 

“  O  friends  of  God,  experience  has  shown  how  much  the  renouncing 
of  tobacco,  wine  and  opium  gives  health,  strength  and  intellectual  enjoy¬ 
ment,  penetration  of  judgment  and  physical  vigour  ”  (see  Tablets  of 
‘ Abdiil-Baha ,  vol.  iii,  pp.  581-585). 

Enjoyments. 

The  Baha’i  teaching  is  based  on  moderation  not  on  asceticism. 
Enjoyment  of  the  good  and  beautiful  things  of  life,  both  material 
and  spiritual,  is  not  only  encouraged  but  enjoined.  Baha’u’llah 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 


95 

says  :  “  Deprive  not  yourselves  of  that  which  has  been  created 
for  you.”  Again  he  says  :  “  It  is  incumbent  upon  you  that 
exultation  and  glad  tidings  be  manifest  in  your  faces.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  All  that  has  been  created  is  for  man,  who  is  at  the  apex  of  creation, 
and  he  must  be  thankful  for  the  divine  bestowals.  All  material  things 
are  for  us,  so  that  through  our  gratitude  we  may  leam  to  understand 
life  as  a  divine  benefit.  If  we  are  disgusted  with  life  we  are  ingrates, 
for  our  material  and  spiritual  existence  are  the  outward  evidences  of  the 
divine  mercy.  Therefore  we  must  be  happy  and  spend  our  time  in 
praises,  appreciating  all  things.” — Divine  Philosophy ,  p.  104. 

Asked  whether  the  Baha’i  prohibition  of  gambling  and  lotteries 
applies  to  games  of  every  description,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  replied  : — 

“  No,  some  games  are  innocent,  and  if  pursued  for  pastime  cause  no 
harm ;  but  there  is  danger  that  pastime  may  degenerate  into  waste  of 
time.  Waste  of  time  is  not  acceptable  in  the  Cause  of  God,  but  recrea¬ 
tion  which  may  improve  the  bodily  powers,  as  exercise,  is  desirable.” 
— A  Heavenly  Vista ,  p.  9. 

Cleanliness. 

Baha’u’llah  says,  in  the  Book  of  Aqdas  : — 

“  Be  the  essence  of  cleanliness  among  mankind  .  .  .  under  all  cir¬ 
cumstances  conform  yourselves  to  refined  manners  ...  let  no  trace 
of  uncleanliness  appear  on  your  clothes.  .  .  .  Immerse  yourselves  in 
pure  water  ;  a  water  which  hath  been  used  is  not  allowable.  .  .  .  Verily 
we  have  desired  to  see  you  the  manifestations  of  Paradise  on  earth,  so 
that  there  may  be  diffused  from  you  that  whereat  the  hearts  of  the  favoured 
ones  shall  rejoice.” 

Mlrza  ‘Abu’l-Fadl,  in  his  book,  Bahai  Proofs  (p.  89),  points 
out  the  extreme  importance  of  these  commands,  more  especially 
in  some  parts  of  the  East,  where  water  of  the  foulest  description 
is  often  used  for  household  purposes,  for  bathing  and  even  for 
drinking,  and  horribly  insanitary  conditions  abound,  causing  a 
vast  amount  of  preventable  disease  and  misery.  These  conditions, 
often  supposed  to  be  sanctioned  by  the  prevailing  religion,  can  be 
changed,  among  Orientals,  only  by  the  commandment  of  one  who 
is  believed  to  have  Divine  authority.  In  many  parts  of  the 
Western  hemisphere,  too,  a  wonderful  transformation  would 


g6  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

result  were  cleanliness  accepted  not  only  as  next  to  godliness,  but 
as  an  essential  part  of  godliness. 

Effects  of  Obedience  to  Prophetic  Commands. 

The  bearing  on  health  of  these  commands  relating  to  the  simple 
life,  hygiene,  abstinence  from  alcohol  and  opium,  etc.,  is  too  obvious 
to  call  for  much  comment,  although  their  vital  importance  is  apt 
to  be  greatly  underestimated.  Were  they  to  be  generally  observed, 
most  of  the  infectious  diseases  and  a  good  many  others  would  soon 
vanish  from  among  men.  The  amount  of  illness  caused  by  neglect 
of  simple  hygienic  precautions  and  by  indulgence  in  alcohol  and 
opium  is  prodigious.  Moreover,  obedience  to  these  commands 
would  not  only  affect  health,  but  would  have  an  enormous  effect 
for  good  on  character  and  conduct.  Alcohol  and  opium  affect 
a  man’s  conscience  long  before  they  affect  his  gait  or  cause  obvious 
bodily  disease,  so  that  the  moral  and  spiritual  gain  from  abstinence 
would  be  even  greater  than  the  physical.  With  regard  to  cleanli¬ 
ness,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  External  cleanliness,  although  it  is  but  a  physical  thing,  has  great 
influence  upon  spirituality.  .  .  .  The  fact  of  having  a  pure  and  spotless 
body  exercises  an  influence  upon  the  spirit  of  man.” — Tablets  of 
‘ Abdu'l  Baka ,  p.  585. 

Were  the  commands  of  the  prophets  concerning  chastity  in 
sexual  relations  generally  observed,  another  fertile  cause  of  disease 
would  be  eliminated.  The  loathsome  venereal  diseases  which 
wreck  the  health  of  so  many  thousands  to-day,  innocent  as  well  as 
guilty,  babes  as  well  as  parents,  would  very  soon  be  entirely  a 
thing  of  the  past. 

Were  the  commands  of  the  prophets  concerning  justice,  mutual 
aid,  loving  one’s  neighbour  as  oneself,  carried  out,  how  could 
overcrowding,  sweated  labour  and  sordid  poverty  on  the  one 
hand,  together  with  self-indulgence,  idleness  and  sordid  luxury 
on  the  other,  continue  to  work  mental,  moral  and  physical  ruin  ? 

Simple  obedience  to  the  hygienic  and  moral  commands  of 
Moses,  Buddha,  Christ,  Muhammad  or  Baha’u’llah  would  do 
more  in  the  way  of  preventing  disease  than  all  the  doctors  and  all 
the  public  health  regulations  in  the  world  have  been  able  to 
accomplish.  In  fact,  it  seems  certain  that  were  such  obedience 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 


97 

general,  good  health  would  also  become  general.  Instead  of  lives 
being  blighted  by  disease  or  cut  off  in  infancy,  youth  or  prime, 
as  so  frequently  happens  now,  men  would  live  to  a  ripe  old  age, 
like  sound  fruits  that  mature  and  mellow  ere  they  drop  from 
the  bough. 

The  Prophet  as  Physician. 

We  live  in  a  world,  however,  where  from  time  immemorial 
obedience  to  the  commands  of  the  prophets  has  been  the  exception 
rather  than  the  rule  ;  where  love  of  self  has  been  a  more  prevalent 
motive  than  love  of  God  ;  where  limited  and  party  interests  have 
taken  precedence  of  the  interests  of  humanity  as  a  whole  ;  where 
material  possessions  and  sensual  pleasures  have  been  preferred  to 
the  social  and  spiritual  welfare  of  mankind.  Hence  have  arisen 
fierce  competition  and  conflict,  oppression  and  tyranny,  extremes 
of  wealth  and  poverty — all  those  conditions  which  breed  disease, 
mental  and  physical.  As  a  consequence,  the  whole  tree  of 
humanity  is  sick,  and  every  leaf  on  the  tree  shares  in  the  general 
sickness.  Even  the  purest  and  holiest  have  to  suffer  for  the  sins 
of  others.  Healing  is  needed — healing  of  humanity  as  a  whole, 
of  nations  and  of  individuals.  So  Baha’u’llah,  like  his  inspired 
predecessors,  not  only  shows  how  health  is  to  be  maintained, 
but  also  how  it  may  be  recovered  when  lost.  He  comes  as  the 
Great  Physician,  the  Healer  of  the  world’s  sicknesses,  both  of 
body  and  of  mind. 

Healing  by  Material  Means. 

In  the  Western  world  of  to-day  there  is  evident  a  remarkable 
revival  of  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  healing  by  mental  and  spiritual 
means.  Indeed  many,  in  their  revolt  against  the  materialistic 
ideas  about  disease  and  its  treatment  which  prevailed  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  have  gone  to  the  opposite  extreme  of  denying 
that  material  remedies  or  hygienic  methods  have  any  value  whatever. 
Baha’u’llah  recognizes  the  value  of  both  material  and  spiritual 
remedies.  He  teaches  that  the  science  and  art  of  healing  must  be 
developed,  encouraged  and  perfected,  so  that  all  means  of  healing 
may  be  used  to  the  best  advantage,  each  in  its  appropriate  sphere. 

7 


98  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

When  members  of  Baha’u’llah’s  own  family  were  sick,  a 
professional  physician  was  called  in,  and  this  practice  is  recom¬ 
mended  to  his  followers.  He  says  :  “  Should  ye  be  attacked  by 
illness  or  disease,  consult  skilful  physicians  ”  ( Book  of  Aqdas). 

This  is  quite  in  accordance  with  the  Baha’i  attitude  towards 
science  and  art  generally.  All  sciences  and  arts  which  are  for  the 
benefit  of  mankind,  even  in  a  material  way,  are  to  be  esteemed 
and  promoted.  Through  science  man  becomes  the  master  of 
material  things  *,  through  ignorance  he  remains  their  slave. 

Baha’u’llah  writes  : — 

“  Do  not  neglect  medical  treatment  when  it  is  necessary,  but  leave 
it  off  when  health  has  been  restored.  Treat  disease  through  diet,  by 
preference,  refraining  from  the  use  of  drugs  ;  and  if  you  find  what  is 
required  in  a  single  herb,  do  not  resort  to  a  compounded  medicament. 
.  .  .  Abstain  from  drugs  when  the  health  is  good,  but  administer  them 
when  necessary  ”  (Tablet  to  a  physician). 

In  one  of  his  Tablets  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  O  seeker  after  truth  !  There  are  two  ways  of  healing  sickness, 
material  means  and  spiritual  means.  The  first  way  is  through  the  use 
of  material  remedies.  The  second  consists  in  praying  to  God  and  in 
turning  to  Him.  Both  means  should  be  used  and  practised.  .  .  .  More¬ 
over,  they  are  not  incompatible,  and  you  should  accept  the  physical 
remedies  as  coming  from  the  mercy  and  favour  of  God  who  has  revealed 
and  made  manifest  medical  knowledge,  so  that  His  servants  may  profit 
by  this  kind  of  treatment  also.” — Tablets  of  1 Abdii' l-B aha,  vol.  iii.  p.  587. 

He  teaches  that,  were  our  natural  tastes  and  instincts  not  vitiated 
by  foolish  and  unnatural  modes  of  living,  they  would  become 
reliable  guides  in  the  choice  both  of  appropriate  diet  and  of  medicinal 
fruits,  herbs  and  other  remedies,  as  is  the  case  with  the  wild  animals. 
In  an  interesting  talk  on  healing,  recorded  in  Some  Answered 
Questions  (p.  296),  he  says  in  conclusion  : — 

“  It  is  therefore  evident  that  it  is  possible  to  cure  by  foods,  aliments, 
and  fruits ;  but  as  to-day  the  science  of  medicine  is  imperfect,  this  fact 
is  not  yet  fully  grasped.  When  the  science  of  medicine  reaches  perfection, 
treatment  will  be  given  by  foods,  aliments,  fragrant  fruits  and  vegetables 
and  by  various  waters,  hot  and  cold  in  temperature.” 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 


99 

Even  when  the  means  of  healing  are  material,  the  power  that 
heals  is  really  Divine,  for  the  attributes  of  the  herb  or  mineral  are 
from  the  Divine  Bestowals.  “  All  depends  upon  God.  Medicine 
is  merely  an  outward  form  or  means  by  which  we  obtain  heavenly 
healing.” 

Healing  by  Non*  material  Means. 

He  teaches  that  there  are  also  many  methods  of  healing  without 
material  means.  There  is  a  “  contagion  of  health,”  as  well  as 
a  contagion  of  disease,  although  the  former  is  very  slow  and  has 
a  small  effect,  while  the  latter  is  often  violent  and  rapid  in  its 
action. 

Much  more  powerful  effects  result  from  the  patient’s  own  mental 
states,  and  “  suggestion  ”  may  play  an  important  part  in  determining 
these  states.  Fear,  anger,  worry,  etc.,  are  very  prejudicial  to 
health,  while  hope,  love,  joy,  etc.,  are  correspondingly  beneficial. 

Thus  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  Verily  the  most  necessary  thing  is  contentment  under  all  circum¬ 
stances  ;  by  this  one  is  preserved  from  morbid  conditions  and  from  lassi¬ 
tude.  Yield  not  to  grief  and  sorrow  :  they  cause  the  greatest  misery. 
Jealousy  consumeth  the  body  and  anger  doth  bum  the  liver  :  avoid  these 
two  as  you  would  a  lion  ”  (Tablet  to  a  physician). 

And  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Joy  gives  us  wings.  In  times  of  joy  our  strength  is  more  vital,  our 
intellect  keener.  .  .  .  But  when  sadness  visits  us  our  strength  leaves  us.” 
— Paris  Talks ,  p.  ioo. 

Of  another  form  of  mental  healing  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes  that 
it  results  : — 

“  from  the  entire  concentration  of  the  mind  of  a  strong  person  upon  a 
sick  person,  when  the  latter  expects  with  all  his  concentrated  faith  that 
a  cure  will  be  effected  from  the  spiritual  power  of  the  strong  person, 
to  such  an  extent  that  there  will  be  a  cordial  connection  between  the 
strong  person  and  the  invalid.  The  strong  person  makes  every  effort 
to  cure  the  sick  patient  and  the  sick  person  is  confident  of  receiving  a 
cure.  From  the  effect  of  these  mental  impressions  an  excitement  of 
the  nerves  is  produced,  and  this  impression  and  this  excitement  of  the 
nerves  will  become  the  cause  of  recovery  of  the  sick  person.” — Some 
Answered  Questions,  p.  294. 


100 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


All  these  methods  of  healing,  however,  are  limited  in  their 
effects,  and  may  fail  to  effect  a  cure  in  severe  maladies. 

The  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  most  potent  means  of  healing  is  the  Power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

“  This  does  not  depend  on  contact,  nor  on  sight,  nor  upon  presence. 

.  .  .  Whether  the  disease  be  light  or  severe,  whether  there  be  a  contact 
of  bodies  or  not,  whether  a  personal  connection  be  established  between  the 
sick  person  and  the  healer  or  not,  this  healing  takes  place  through  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.” — Some  Answered  Questions ,  p.  295. 

In  a  talk  with  Miss  Ethel  Rosenberg,  in  October  1904,  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  said  : — 

“  The  Healing  that  is  by  the  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  needs  no  special 
concentration  or  contact.  It  is  through  the  wish  or  desire  and  the  prayer 
of  the  Holy  Person.  The  One  who  is  sick  may  be  in  the  East  and  the 
healer  in  the  West,  and  they  may  not  have  been  acquainted  with  each 
other,  but  as  soon  as  that  Holy  Person  turns  His  heart  to  God  and  begins 
to  pray,  the  sick  one  is  healed.  This  is  a  gift  belonging  to  the  Holy 
Manifestations  and  those  who  are  in  the  highest  station.” 

Of  this  nature,  apparently,  were  the  works  of  healing  performed 
by  Christ  and  His  apostles,  and  similar  works  of  healing  have  been 
attributed  to  holy  men  in  all  ages.  Both  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  were  gifted  with  this  power,  and  similar  powers  are  promised 
to  their  faithful  followers. 

Attitude  of  the  Patient. 

In  order  that  the  power  of  spiritual  healing  may  be  brought 
fully  into  operation  certain  requirements  are  necessary  on  the  part 
of  the  patient,  of  the  healer,  of  the  patient’s  friends  and  of  the 
community  at  large. 

On  the  part  of  the  patient  the  prime  requisite  is,  turning  with 
all  the  heart  to  God,  with  implicit  trust  both  in  His  Power  and  in 
His  Will  to  do  whatever  is  best.  To  an  American  lady,  in 
August  1912,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  All  of  these  ailments  will  pass  away  and  you  will  receive  perfect 
physical  and  spiritual  health.  .  .  .  Let  your  heart  be  confident  and 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 


IOI 


assured  that  through  the  Bounty  of  BahaVllah,  through  the  Favour 
of  BahaVllah,  everything  will  become  pleasant  for  you.  .  .  .  But  you 
must  turn  your  face  wholly  towards  the  Abha  (All-Glorious)  Kingdom, 
giving  perfect  attention — the  same  attention  that  Mary  Magdalene  gave 
to  His  Holiness  Christ,  and  I  assure  you  that  you  will  get  physical  health 
and  spiritual  health.  You  are  worthy.  I  give  you  the  glad  tidings 
that  you  are  worthy  because  your  heart  is  pure  ...  Be  confident ! 
Be  happy  !  Be  rejoiced  !  Be  hopeful !  .  .  .” 

Although  in  this  particular  case  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  guaranteed  the 
attainment  of  sound  physical  health,  he  does  not  do  so  in  every 
case,  even  where  there  is  strong  faith  on  the  part  of  the  individual. 
To  a  pilgrim  at  ‘Akka  he  said  : — 

“  The  prayers  which  were  written  for  the  purpose  of  healing  are  both 
for  the  spiritual  and  material  healing.  If  healing  is  best  for  the  patient, 
surely  it  will  be  granted.  For  some  who  are  sick,  healing  would  only 
be  the  cause  of  other  ills.  Thus  it  is  that  Wisdom  does  not  decree  the 
answer  to  some  prayers. 

“  O  handmaid  of  God  !  The  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  heals  both 
material  and  spiritual  ills.” — Daily  Lessons  Received  at  Acca ,  p.  95. 

Again  he  writes  to  one  who  is  ill  : — 

“  Verily  the  Will  of  God  acts  sometimes  in  a  way  for  which  mankind 
is  unable  to  find  out  the  reason.  The  causes  and  reasons  shall  appear. 
Trust  in  God  and  confide  in  Him,  and  resign  thyself  to  the  Will  of  God. 
Verily  thy  God  is  affectionate,  compassionate  and  merciful  .  .  .  and  will 
cause  His  Mercy  to  descend  upon  thee.” — Star  of  the  West,  vol.  viii. 
p.  232. 

He  teaches  that  spiritual  health  is  conducive  to  physical  health, 
but  physical  health  depends  upon  many  factors,  some  of  which 
are  outside  the  control  of  the  individual.  Even  the  most  exemplary 
spiritual  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  individual,  therefore,  may  not 
ensure  physical  health  in  every  case.  The  holiest  men  and  women 
sometimes  suffer  illness. 

Nevertheless,  the  beneficent  influence  on  bodily  health  which 
results  from  a  right  spiritual  attitude  is  far  more  potent  than 
is  generally  imagined,  and  is  sufficient  to  banish  ill-health  in  a 
large  proportion  of  cases.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  wrote  to  an  English 
lady  : — 


102 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  You  have  written  about  the  weakness  of  your  body.  I  ask  from 
the  Bounties  of  Baha’u’llah  that  your  spirit  may  become  strong,  that 
through  the  strength  of  your  spirit  your  body  also  may  be  healed.” 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  God  has  bestowed  upon  man  such  wonderful  powers,  that  he  might 
ever  look  upward,  and  receive,  among  other  gifts,  healing  from  His  divine 
Bounty.  But  alas  !  man  is  not  grateful  for  this  supreme  good,  but  sleeps 
the  sleep  of  negligence,  being  careless  of  the  great  mercy  which  God 
has  shown  towards  him,  turning  his  face  away  from  the  Light  and  going 
on  his  way  in  darkness.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  16. 

The  Healer. 

The  power  of  spiritual  healing  is  doubtless  common  to  all 
mankind  in  greater  or  less  degree,  but,  just  as  some  men  are 
endowed  with  exceptional  talent  for  mathematics  or  music,  so 
others  appear  to  be  endowed  with  exceptional  aptitude  for  healing. 
These  are  the  people  who  ought  to  make  the  healing  art  their 
life-work.  Unfortunately,  so  materialistic  has  the  world  become 
in  recent  centuries  that  the  very  possibility  of  spiritual  healing  has 
to  a  large  extent  been  lost  sight  of.  Like  all  other  talents  the  gift 
of  healing  has  to  be  recognized,  trained  and  educated  in  order  that 
it  may  attain  its  highest  development  and  power,  and  there  are 
probably  thousands  in  the  world  to-day,  richly  dowered  with 
natural  aptitude  for  healing,  in  whom  this  precious  gift  is  lying 
dormant  and  inactive.  When  the  potentialities  of  mental  and 
spiritual  treatment  are  more  fully  realized,  the  healing  art  will 
be  transformed  and  ennobled  and  its  efficacy  immeasurably 
increased.  And  when  this  new  knowledge  and  power  in  the  healer 
are  combined  with  lively  faith  and  hope  on  the  part  of  the  patient, 
wonderful  results  may  be  looked  for. 

“  In  God  must  be  our  trust.  There  is  no  God  but  Him,  the  Healer, 
the  Knower,  the  Helper.  .  .  .  Nothing  in  earth  or  heaven  is  outside  the 
grasp  of  God. 

“  O  doctor  !  In  treating  the  sick,  first  mention  the  name  of  Thy 
God,  the  Possessor  of  the  Day  of  Judgment,  and  then  use  what  God 
hath  destined  for  the  healing  of  His  creatures.  By  My  Life  !  The 
doctor  who  has  drunk  from  the  Wine  of  My  Love,  his  visit  is  healing, 
and  his  breath  is  mercy  and  hope.  Cling  to  him  for  the  welfare  of  the 
constitution.  He  is  confirmed  by  God  in  his  treatment. 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 


103 

“  This  knowledge  (of  the  healing  art)  is  the  most  important  of  all  the 
sciences,  for  it  is  the  greatest  means  from  God,  the  Life-giver  to  the 
dust,  for  preserving  the  bodies  of  all  people,  and  He  has  put  it  in 
the  forefront  of  all  sciences  and  wisdoms.  For  this  is  the  day  when 
you  must  arise  for  My  Victory. 

“  Say  :  ‘  O  my  God  !  Thy  Name  is  my  healing,  Thy  remembrance 
is  my  remedy,  Thy  nearness  is  my  hope,  Thy  Love  my  joyous  companion 
and  Thy  Mercy  my  healer  and  helper  in  this  world  and  in  the  world 
to  come.  Verily  Thou  art  the  Giver,  the  Knower,  the  Wise.’  .  .  .  ” — 
Baha’u’llah,  Tablet  to  a  physician. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes  : — 

“  Lie  who  is  filled  with  the  love  of  Baha,  and  forgets  all  things,  the 
Holy  Spirit  will  be  heard  from  his  lips  and  the  spirit  of  life  will  fill  his 
heart.  .  .  .  Words  will  issue  from  his  lips  in  strands  of  pearls,  and  all 
sickness  and  disease  will  be  healed  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands.” — Star 
of  the  West ,  vol.  viii.  p.  233. 

“  O  thou  pure  and  spiritual  one  !  Turn  thou  toward  God  with  thy 
heart  beating  with  His  love,  devoted  to  His  praise,  gazing  towards  His 
Kingdom  and  seeking  help  from  His  Holy  Spirit  in  a  state  of  ecstasy, 
rapture,  love,  yearning,  joy  and  fragrance.  God  will  assist  thee,  through 
a  spirit  from  His  Presence,  to  heal  sickness  and  diseases.” 

“  Continue  in  healing  hearts  and  bodies  and  seek  healing  for  sick  per¬ 
sons  by  turning  unto  the  Supreme  Kingdom  and  by  setting  the  heart 
upon  obtaining  healing  through  the  power  of  the  Greatest  Name  and 
by  the  spirit  of  the  Love  of  God.” — Tablets  of  ‘ Abdul l-B aha,  vol.  iii. 
pp.  628,  629. 


How  All  can  Help. 

The  work  of  healing  the  sick,  however,  is  a  matter  that  concerns 
not  the  patient  and  the  practitioner  only,  but  everyone.  All 
must  help,  by  sympathy  and  service,  by  right  living  and  right 
thinking,  and  especially  by  prayer,  for  of  all  remedies  prayer  is 
the  most  potent.  “  Supplication  and  prayer  on  behalf  of  others,” 
says  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  “  will  surely  be  effective.”  The  friends  of 
the  patient  have  a  special  responsibility,  for  their  influence,  either 
for  good  or  ill,  is  most  direct  and  powerful.  In  how  many  cases 
of  sickness  the  issue  depends  mainly  on  the  ministrations  of  parents, 
friends  or  neighbours  of  the  helpless  sufferer  ! 

Even  the  members  of  the  community  at  large  have  an  influence 
in  every  case  of  sickness.  In  individual  cases  that  influence  may 


104  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

not  appear  great,  yet  in  the  mass  the  effect  is  potent.  Everyone 
is  affected  by  the  social  “  atmosphere  ”  in  which  he  lives,  by  the 
general  prevalence  of  faith  or  materialism,  of  virtue  or  vice,  of 
cheerfulness  or  depression  ;  and  each  individual  has  his  share  in 
determining  the  state  of  that  social  “  atmosphere.”  It  may 
not  be  possible  for  everyone,  in  the  present  state  of  the  world, 
to  attain  to  perfect  health,  but  it  is  possible  for  everyone  to  become 
a  “  willing  channel  ”  for  the  health-giving  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  thus  to  exert  a  healing,  helpful  influence  both  on  his 
own  body  and  on  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Few  duties  are  impressed  on  Baha’is  more  repeatedly  and 
emphatically  than  that  of  healing  the  sick,  and  many  beautiful 
prayers  for  healing  have  been  revealed  both  by  Baha’u’llah  and 
‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

The  Golden  Age, 

Baha’u’llah  gives  the  assurance  that,  through  harmonious 
co-operation  of  patients,  healers  and  the  community  in  general, 
and  by  appropriate  use  of  the  various  means  to  health,  material, 
mental  and  spiritual,  the  Golden  Age  may  be  realized,  when, 
by  the  Power  of  God,  “  all  sorrow  will  be  turned  into  joy,  and 
all  disease  into  health.”  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  that  “  when  the 
Divine  Message  is  understood,  all  troubles  will  vanish.”  Again 
he  says  : — 

“  When  the  material  world  and  the  divine  world  are  well  co-related, 
when  the  hearts  become  heavenly  and  the  aspirations  pure,  perfect  con¬ 
nection  shall  take  place.  Then  shall  this  power  produce  a  perfect  mani¬ 
festation.  Physical  and  spiritual  diseases  will  then  receive  absolute 
healing.” — Tablets  of  1 Abdu’l-Baha ,  vol.  ii.  p.  309. 

Right  Use  of  Health. 

In  concluding  this  chapter  it  will  be  well  to  recall  ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s 
teaching  as  to  the  right  use  of  physical  health.  In  one  of  his 
tablets  to  the  Baha’is  of  Washington  he  says  : — 

“  If  the  health  and  well-being  of  the  body  be  expended  in  the  path 
of  the  Kingdom,  this  is  very  acceptable  and  praiseworthy ;  and  if  it 
be  expended  to  the  benefit  of  the  human  world  in  general — even  though 


HEALTH  AND  HEALING 


105 


it  be  to  their  material  (or  bodily)  benefit — and  be  a  means  of  doing  good, 
that  is  also  acceptable.  But  if  the  health  and  welfare  of  man  be  spent 
in  sensual  desires,  in  a  life  on  the  animal  plane,  and  in  devilish  pursuits — 
then  disease  were  better  than  such  health  ;  nay,  death  itself  were  pre¬ 
ferable  to  such  a  life.  If  thou  art  desirous  of  health,  wish  thou  health 
for  serving  the  Kingdom.  I  hope  that  thou  mayest  attain  perfect  insight, 
inflexible  resolution,  complete  health,  and  spiritual  and  physical  strength 
in  order  that  thou  mayest  drink  from  the  fountain  of  eternal  life  and  be 
assisted  by  the  spirit  of  divine  confirmation.” 


CHAPTER  VIII 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 

**  O  ye  people  of  the  world  !  The  virtue  of  this  most  Great  Manifestation 
is  that  We  have  effaced  from  the  Book  whatever  was  the  cause  of  differences, 
corruption  and  discord,  and  recorded  therein  that  which  leads  to  Unity, 
Harmony  and  Concord.  Joy  unto  those  who  act  in  accordance  therewith  !  ” 
— Baha’u'llah  in  Tablet  of  the  World. 

Sectarianism  in  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Never,  perhaps,  did  the  world  seem  further  from  religious 
unity  than  in  the  nineteenth  century.  For  many  centuries  had 
the  great  religious  communities — the  Zoroastrian,  Mosaic, 
Buddhist,  Christian,  Muhammadan  and  others — been  existing 
side  by  side,  but  instead  of  blending  together  into  a  harmonious 
whole  they  had  been  at  constant  enmity  and  strife,  each  against 
the  others.  Not  only  so,  but  each  had  become  split  up,  by  division 
after  division,  into  an  increasing  number  of  sects  which  were  often 
bitterly  opposed  to  each  other.  Yet  Christ  had  said  :  “  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another,”  and  Muhammad  had  said  :  “  This  your  religion  is 

the  one  religion.  ...  To  you  hath  God  prescribed  the  faith 
which  He  commanded  unto  Noah,  and  which  We  have  revealed 
unto  thee,  and  which  We  commanded  unto  Abraham  and  Moses 
and  Jesus  saying  :  ‘  Observe  this  faith,  and  be  not  divided  into 

sects  therein  !  ’  ”  The  founder  of  every  one  of  the  great  religions 
had  called  his  followers  to  love  and  unity,  but  in  every  case  the  aim 
of  the  founder  was  to  a  large  extent  lost  sight  of  in  a  welter  of 
intolerance  and  bigotry,  formalism  and  hypocrisy,  corruption  and 
misrepresentation,  schism  and  contention.  The  aggregate  number 
of  more  or  less  hostile  sects  in  the  world  was  probably  greater  at 
the  commencement  of  the  Baha’i  era  than  at  any  previous  period 

106 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


107 

in  human  history.  It  seemed  as  if  humanity  at  that  time  were 
experimenting  with  every  possible  kind  of  religious  belief,  with 
every  possible  sort  of  ritual  and  ceremonial  observance,  with  every 
possible  variety  of  moral  code. 

At  the  same  time  an  increasing  number  of  men  were  devoting 
their  energies  to  fearless  investigation  and  critical  examination  of 
the  laws  of  nature  and  the  foundations  of  belief.  New  scientific 
knowledge  was  being  rapidly  acquired  and  new  solutions  were 
being  found  for  many  of  the  problems  of  life.  The  development 
of  inventions  such  as  the  steamship  and  railway,  postal  system  and 
Press,  greatly  aided  the  diffusion  of  ideas  and  the  fertilizing  contact 
of  widely  different  types  of  thought  and  life. 

The  so-called  “  conflict  between  religion  and  science  ”  became 
a  fierce  battle.  In  the  Christian  world  Biblical  criticism  combined 
with  physical  science  to  dispute,  and  to  some  extent  to  refute, 
the  authority  of  the  Bible,  an  authority  that  for  centuries  had  been 
the  generally  accepted  basis  of  belief.  A  rapidly  increasing 
proportion  of  the  population  became  sceptical  about  the  teachings 
of  the  churches.  A  large  number  even  of  religious  priests  secretly 
or  openly  entertained  doubts  or  reservations  regarding  the  creeds 
adhered  to  by  their  respective  denominations. 

This  ferment  and  flux  of  opinion,  with  increasing  recognition 
of  the  inadequacy  of  the  old  orthodoxies  and  dogmas,  and  groping 
and  striving  after  fuller  knowledge  and  understanding,  were 
not  confined  to  Christian  countries,  but  were  manifest,  more  or 
less,  and  in  different  forms,  among  the  people  of  all  countries  and 
religions. 

The  Message  of  B aha VII ah. 

It  was  when  this  state  of  conflict  and  confusion  was  at  its  height, 
that  Baha’u’llah  sounded  his  great  trumpet-call  to  humanity  : — 

“  That  all  nations  should  become  one  in  faith,  and  all  men  as  brothers  ; 
that  the  bonds  of  affection  and  unity  between  the  sons  of  men  should  be 
strengthened  ;  that  diversity  of  religion  should  cease,  and  differences 
of  race  be  annulled.  .  .  .  These  strifes  and  this  bloodshed  and  discord 
must  cease,  and  all  men  be  as  one  kindred  and  one  family  ”  (words 
spoken  to  Professor  Browne). 

It  is  a  glorious  message,  but  how  are  its  proposals  to  be  carried 


io8  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


into  effect  ?  Prophets  have  preached,  poets  have  sung  and  saints 
have  prayed  about  these  things  for  thousands  of  years,  but  diversities 
of  religion  have  not  ceased  nor  have  strife  and  bloodshed  and 
discord  been  annulled.  What  is  there  to  show  that  now  the  miracle 
is  to  be  accomplished  ?  Are  there  any  new  factors  in  the  situation  ? 
Is  not  human  nature  the  same  as  it  ever  was,  and  will  it  not  continue 
to  be  the  same  while  the  world  lasts  ?  If  two  people  want  the 
same  thing,  or  two  nations,  will  they  not  fight  for  it  in  the  future 
as  they  have  done  in  the  past  ?  If  Moses,  Buddha,  Christ  and 
Muhammad  failed  to  achieve  world  unity  will  Baha’u’llah  succeed  ? 
If  all  previous  faiths  became  corrupted  and  rent  asunder  into  sects 
will  not  the  Baha’i  faith  share  the  same  fate  ?  Let  us  see 
what  answer  the  Baha’i  teachings  give  to  these  and  similar 
questions. 

Can  Human  Nature  Change  ? 

Education  and  religion  are  alike  based  on  the  assumption  that 
it  is  possible  to  change  human  nature.  In  fact,  it  requires  but  little 
investigation  to  show  that  the  one  thing  we  can  say  with  certainty 
about  any  living  thing  is  that  it  cannot  keep  from  changing. 
Without  change  there  can  be  no  life.  Even  the  mineral  cannot 
resist  change,  and  the  higher  we  go  in  the  scale  of  being,  the  more 
varied,  complex,  and  wonderful  do  the  changes  become.  More¬ 
over,  in  progress  and  development  among  creatures  of  all  grades 
we  find  two  kinds  of  change — one  slow,  gradual,  often  almost 
imperceptible  ;  and  the  other  rapid,  sudden  and  dramatic.  The 
latter  occur  at  what  are  called  “  critical  stages  ”  of  development. 
In  the  case  of  minerals  we  find  such  critical  stages  at  the  melting 
and  boiling  points,  for  example,  when  the  solid  suddenly  becomes 
a  liquid  or  the  liquid  becomes  a  gas.  In  the  case  of  plants  we  see 
such  critical  stages  when  the  seed  begins  to  germinate,  or  the  bud 
bursts  into  leaf.  In  the  animal  world  we  see  the  same  on  every 
hand,  as  when  the  grub  suddenly  changes  into  a  butterfly,  the 
chick  emerges  from  its  shell,  or  the  babe  is  born  from  its  mother’s 
womb.  In  the  higher  life  of  the  soul  we  often  see  a  similar 
transformation,  when  a  man  is  “  born  again  ”  and  his  whole 
being  becomes  radically  changed  in  its  aims,  its  character  and 
activities.  Such  critical  stages  often  affect  a  whole  species  or 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


109 

multitude  of  species  simultaneously,  as  when  vegetation  of  all 
kinds  suddenly  bursts  into  new  life  in  spring-time. 

Baha’u’llah  declares  that  just  as  lesser  living  things  have  times 
of  sudden  emergence  into  new  and  fuller  life,  so  for  mankind  also 
a  “  critical  stage,”  a  time  of  “  re-birth,”  is  at  hand.  Then 
modes  of  life  which  have  persisted  from  the  dawn  of  history  up 
till  now  will  be  quickly,  irrevocably,  altered,  and  humanity  enter 
on  a  new  phase  of  life  as  different  from  the  old  as  the  butterfly 
is  different  from  the  caterpillar,  or  the  bird  from  the  egg.  Man¬ 
kind  as  a  whole,  in  the  light  of  new  Revelation,  will  attain  to  a 
new  vision  of  truth  *,  as  a  whole  country  is  illumined  when  the 
sun  rises,  so  that  all  men  see  clearly,  where  but  an  hour  before 
everything  was  dark  and  dim.  “  This  is  a  new  cycle  of  human 
power,”  says  ‘Abdu’l-Baha.  “  All  the  horizons  of  the  world  are 
luminous,  and  the  world  will  become  indeed  as  a  rose-garden  and 
a  paradise.”  The  analogies  of  nature  are  all  in  favour  of  such  a 
view  ;  the  prophets  of  old  have  with  one  accord  foretold  the 
advent  of  such  a  glorious  day  ;  the  signs  of  the  times  show  clearly 
that  profound  and  revolutionary  changes  in  human  ideas  and 
institutions  are  even  now  in  progress.  What  could  be  more  futile 
and  baseless  therefore,  than  the  pessimistic  argument  that,  although 
all  things  else  change,  human  nature  cannot  change  ? 

First  Steps  Towards  Unity. 

As  a  means  of  promoting  religious  unity  Baha’u’llah  advocates 
the  utmost  charity  and  tolerance,  and  calls  on  his  followers  to 
“  consort  with  the  people  of  all  religions  with  joy  and  gladness.” 
In  his  last  Will  and  Testament  he  says  : — 

“  Contention  and  conflict  hath  He  straitly  forbidden  in  His  book 
(Kitabu* l-Aqdas) ;  such  is  the  command  of  the  Lord  in  this  all-highest 
Revelation — a  command  which  he  hath  exempted  from  all  annulment 
and  arrayed  with  the  adorning  of  His  confirmation. 

“  O  ye  people  of  the  world  !  The  Religion  of  God  is  for  the  sake 
of  love  and  union ;  make  it  not  the  cause  of  enmity  and  conflict.  .  .  . 
The  hope  is  cherished,  that  the  people  of  Baha  shall  ever  turn  unto  the 
Hallowed  Word  :  ‘  Lo  !  All  things  are  of  God  !  ’ — the  All-Glorious 
Word  that,  like  unto  water,  quencheth  the  fire  of  hate  and  rancour  which 
doth  smoulder  in  hearts  and  breasts.  By  this  one  Word  shall  the  diverse 
sects  of  the  world  attain  unto  the  light  of  real  union’;  verily  the  Truth 


no 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


He  speaketh,  and  to  the  Path  He  leadeth,  and  He  is  the  Mighty,  the 
Gracious,  the  Beauteous.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  All  must  abandon  prejudices  and  must  even  go  to  each  other’s 
churches  and  mosques,  for,  in  all  of  these  worshipping  places,  the  Name 
of  God  is  mentioned.  Since  all  gather  to  worship  God,  what  difference 
is  there  ?  None  of  them  worship  Satan.  The  Muhammadans  must 
go  to  the  churches  of  the  Christians  and  the  Synagogues  of  the  Jews,  and 
vice  versa ,  the  others  must  go  to  the  Muhammadan  Mosques.  They 
hold  aloof  from  one  another  merely  because  of  unfounded  prejudices 
and  dogmas.  In  America  I  went  to  the  Jewish  Synagogues,  which  are 
similar  to  the  Christian  Churches,  and  I  saw  them  worshipping  God 
everywhere. 

“  In  many  of  these  places  I  spoke  to  them  about  the  original  foundations 
of  the  divine  religions,  and  I  explained  to  them  the  proofs  of  the  validity 
of  the  divine  prophets  and  of  the  Holy  Manifestations.  I  encouraged 
them  to  do  away  with  blind  imitations.  All  of  the  leaders  must,  likewise, 
go  to  each  other’s  Churches  and  speak  of  the  foundation  and  of  the  funda¬ 
mental  principles  of  the  divine  religions.  In  the  utmost  unity  and  harmony 
they  must  worship  God,  in  the  worshipping  places  of  one  another,  and 
must  abandon  fanaticism.” — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  ix.  No.  3,  p.  37. 

Were  even  these  first  steps  accomplished  and  a  state  of  friendly 
mutual  tolerance  established  between  the  various  religious  sects, 
what  a  wonderful  change  would  be  brought  about  in  the  world  ! 
In  order  that  real  unity  may  be  achieved,  however,  something 
more  than  this  is  required.  For  the  disease  of  sectarianism, 
tolerance  is  a  valuable  palliative,  but  it  is  not  a  radical  cure.  It 
does  not  remove  the  cause  of  the  trouble. 

The  Problem  of  Authority. 

The  different  religious  communities  have  failed  to  unite  in 
the  past,  because  the  adherents  of  each  have  regarded  the  founder 
of  their  own  community  as  the  one  supreme  authority,  and  his  law 
as  the  divine  law.  Any  prophet  who  proclaimed  a  different 
message  was,  therefore,  regarded  as  an  enemy  of  the  truth.  The 
different  sects  of  each  community  have  separated  for  similar  reasons. 
The  adherents  of  each  have  accepted  some  subordinate  authority 
and  regarded  some  particular  version  or  interpretation  of  the 
Founder’s  Message  as  the  One  True  Faith,  and  all  others  as 
wrong.  It  is  obvious  that  while  this  state  of  matters  exists  no 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


hi 


true  unity  is  possible.  Baha’u’llah,  on  the  other  hand,  teaches  that 
all  the  prophets  were  bearers  of  authentic  messages  from  God  ; 
that  each  in  his  day  gave  the  highest  teachings  that  the  people 
could  then  receive,  and  educated  men  so  that  they  were  able  to 
receive  further  teachings  from  his  successors.  He  calls  on  the 
adherents  of  each  religion,  not  to  deny  the  Divine  Inspiration  of 
their  own  prophets,  but  to  acknowledge  the  Divine  Inspiration 
of  all  other  prophets,  to  see  that  the  teachings  of  all  are  essentially 
in  harmony,  and  are  parts  of  a  great  plan  for  the  education  and  the 
unification  of  humanity.  He  calls  on  the  people  of  all  denomina¬ 
tions  to  show  their  reverence  for  their  prophets  by  devoting  their 
lives  to  the  accomplishment  of  that  unity  for  which  all  the  prophets 
laboured  and  suffered.  In  his  letter  to  Queen  Victoria  he  likens 
the  world  to  a  sick  man  whose  malady  is  aggravated  because  he 
has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  unskilful  physicians  ;  and  he  tells  how 
the  remedy  may  be  effected  : — 

“  That  which  the  Lord  hath  made  to  be  the  wholesome  Medicine 
and  the  most  perfect  Remedy  is  the  union  of  all  that  dwell  on  the  earth 
in  one  Religion  and  under  one  Law ,  and  this  cannot  be  brought  about  save 
through  a  skilful,  perfect  and  inspired  physician.  By  My  Life  !  This 
is  but  truth  itself,  and  all  else  is  but  manifest  error.  Whensoever  that 
most  potent  Instrument  did  appear  and  that  Light  did  shine  with  its 
Ancient  Splendour,  they  that  did  claim  to  heal  intervened  between  Him 
and  the  world,  hindering  thereby  its  recovery  unto  this  day.” 

Progressive  Revelation. 

A  great  stumbling-block  to  many,  in  the  way  of  religious  unity, 
is  the  difference  between  the  revelations  given  by  the  different 
prophets.  What  is  commanded  by  one  is  forbidden  by  another  ; 
how  then  can  both  be  right,  how  can  both  be  proclaiming  the 
Will  of  God  ?  Surely  the  truth  is  One,  and  cannot  change. 
Yes,  the  Absolute  Truth  is  One  and  cannot  change,  but  the 
Absolute  Truth  is  infinitely  beyond  the  present  range  of  human 
understanding,  and  our  conceptions  of  it  must  constantly  change. 
Our  earlier,  imperfect  ideas  will  be  by  the  Grace  of  God  replaced, 
as  time  goes  on,  by  more  and  more  adequate  conceptions. 
Baha’u’llah  says,  in  a  tablet  to  some  Persian  Baha’is  : — 

“  O  people  !  Words  are  revealed  according  to  capacity  so  that  the 


1 12 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


beginners  may  make  progress.  The  milk  must  be  given  according  to 
measure  so  that  the  babe  of  the  world  may  enter  into  the  Realm  of  Grandeur 
and  be  established  in  the  Court  of  Unity.” 

It  is  milk  that  strengthens  the  babe  so  that  it  can  digest  more 
solid  food  later  on.  To  say  that  because  one  prophet  is  right  in 
giving  a  certain  teaching  at  a  certain  time,  therefore  another  prophet 
must  be  wrong  who  gives  a  different  teaching  at  a  different  time, 
is  like  saying  that  because  milk  is  the  best  food  for  the  new-born 
babe,  therefore,  milk  and  nothing  but  milk  should  be  the  food 
of  the  grown  man  also,  and  to  give  any  other  diet  would  be  wrong  ! 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Each  divine  revelation  is  divided  into  two  parts.  The  first  part  is 
essential  and  belongs  to  the  eternal  world.  It  is  the  exposition  of  Divine 
truths  and  essential  principles.  It  is  the  expression  of  the  Love  of  God. 
This  is  one  in  all  the  religions,  unchangeable  and  immutable.  The 
second  part  is  not  eternal ;  it  deals  with  practical  life,  transactions  and 
business,  and  changes  according  to  the  evolution  of  man  and  the  require¬ 
ments  of  the  time  of  each  prophet.  For  example.  .  .  .  During  the 
Mosaic  period  the  hand  of  a  person  was  cut  off  in  punishment  of  a  small 
theft ;  there  was  a  law  of  an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  but 
as  these  laws  were  not  expedient  in  the  time  of  Christ,  they  were  abro¬ 
gated.  Likewise  divorce  had  become  so  universal  that  there  remained 
no  fixed  laws  of  marriage,  therefore  His  Holiness  Christ  forbade 
divorce. 

“  According  to  the  exigencies  of  the  time,  His  Holiness  Moses  revealed 
ten  laws  for  capital  punishment.  It  was  impossible  at  that  time  to  protect 
the  community  and  to  preserve  social  security  without  these  severe 
measures,  for  the  children  of  Israel  lived  in  the  wilderness  of  Tah,  where 
there  were  no  established  courts  of  justice  and  no  penitentiaries.  But 
this  code  of  conduct  was  not  needed  in  the  time  of  Christ.  The  history 
of  the  second  part  of  religion  is  unimportant,  because  it  relates  to  the 
customs  of  this  life  only ;  but  the  foundation  of  the  religion  of  God  is 
one,  and  His  Holiness  Baha’u’llah  has  renewed  that  foundation.” — Divine 
Philosophy,  second  edition,  p.  146. 

The  religion  of  God  is  the  One  Religion,  and  all  the  prophets 
have  taught  it,  but  it  is  a  living  and  a  growing  thing,  not  lifeless 
and  unchanging.  In  the  teaching  of  Moses  we  see  the  Bud  ; 
in  that  of  Christ  the  Flower  ;  in  that  of  Baha’u’llah  the  Fruit. 
The  flower  does  not  destroy  the  bud,  nor  does  the  fruit  destroy 
the  flower.  It  destroys  not,  but  fulfils.  The  bud  scales  must 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


fall  in  order  that  the  flower  may  bloom,  and  the  petals  must  fall 
that  the  fruit  may  grow  and  ripen.  Were  the  bud-scales  and  the 
petals  wrong  or  useless,  then,  that  they  had  to  be  discarded  ? 
Nay,  both  in  their  time  were  right  and  necessary  ;  without  them 
there  could  have  been  no  fruit.  So  it  is  with  the  various  prophetic 
teachings  ;  their  externals  change  from  age  to  age,  but  each 
revelation  is  the  fulfilment  of  its  predecessors  ;  they  are  not  separate 
nor  incongruous,  but  different  stages  in  the  life  history  of  the 
One  Religion,  which  has  in  turn  been  revealed  as  seed,  as  bud  and 
as  flower,  and  now  enters  on  the  stage  of  fruition. 

Infallibility  of  the  Prophets. 

Baha’u’llah  teaches  that  everyone  endowed  with  the  Station 
of  Prophethood  is  given  sufficient  proofs  of  his  Mission,  is  entitled 
to  claim  obedience  from  all  men  and  has  authority  to  abrogate, 
alter  or  add  to  the  teachings  of  his  predecessors.  In  the  Book  of 
Jqan  we  read  : — 

“  It  is  far  from  the  Bounty  of  the  Bounteous,  and  remote  from  the 
Abundant  Mercy,  to  choose  one  soul  from  among  all  the  servants,  for 
the  guidance  of  His  creatures,  without  bestowing  upon  him  sufficient 
and  perfect  proofs,  and  at  the  same  time  punishing  people  for  not  believing 
in  him.  Nay,  the  Generosity  of  the  King  of  Existence  hath  embraced 
all  the  contingent  beings  through  the  appearance  of  the  Manifestations 
of  Himself.  .  .  .” 

“  The  purpose  of  every  Manifestation  is  to  bring  about  change  and 
transformation  in  the  regions  of  the  world,  publicly  and  privately,  out¬ 
wardly  and  inwardly.  For  if  the  affairs  of  the  world  change  not,  the 
appearance  of  Universal  Manifestations  would  be  futile.” 

God  is  the  One  infallible  Authority,  and  the  Prophets  are 
infallible  because  their  Message  is  the  Message  of  God  given  to 
the  world  through  them.  That  Message  remains  valid  until  it 
is  superseded  by  a  later  Message  given  by  the  same  or  another 
Prophet. 

God  is  the  great  Physician  who  alone  can  rightly  diagnose  the 
world’s  sickness  and  prescribe  the  appropriate  remedy.  The 
remedy  prescribed  in  one  age  is  no  longer  suitable  in  a  later  age, 
when  the  condition  of  the  patient  is  different.  To  cling  to  the 
old  remedy  when  the  physician  has  ordered  new  treatment  is  not 

8 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


1 14 

to  show  faith  in  the  physician,  but  infidelity.  It  may  be  a  shock 
to  the  Jew  to  be  told  that  some  of  the  remedies  for  the  world’s 
sickness  which  Moses  ordered  over  three  thousand  years  ago  are 
now  out  of  date  and  unsuitable  ;  the  Christian  may  be  equally 
shocked  when  told  that  Muhammad  had  anything  necessary  or 
valuable  to  add  to  what  Jesus  prescribed  ;  and  so  also  the  Muslim, 
when  asked  to  admit  that  the  Bab  or  Baha’u’llah  had  authority 
to  alter  the  commands  of  Muhammad  ;  but  according  to  the 
Baha’i  view,  true  devotion  to  God  implies  reverence  to  all  His 
Prophets,  and  implicit  obedience  to  His  latest  Commands,  as  given 
by  the  Prophet  for  our  own  age.  Only  by  such  devotion  can  true 
Unity  be  attained. 

The  Supreme  Manifestation. 

Like  all  the  other  prophets,  Baha’u’llah  states  his  own  Mission 
in  the  most  unmistakable  terms. 

In  the  Laivh-i-dqdas,  a  tablet  addressed  especially  to  Christians, 
he  says  : — 

“  Surely  the  Father  hath  come  and  hath  fulfilled  that  which  you  were 
promised  in  the  Kingdom  of  God.  This  is  the  Word  which  the  Son 
veiled  when  He  said  to  those  around  Him  that  at  that  time  they  could 
not  bear  it.  But  when  the  stated  time  was  ended,  and  the  Hour  arrived, 
the  Word  shone  forth  from  the  Horizon  of  the  Will.  Beware,  O  Con¬ 
course  of  the  Son  (i.e.  Christians)  !  Cast  it  not  behind  you,  but  hold 
thereunto.  It  is  better  for  you  than  all  that  which  is  before  you  !  .  .  . 
Verily,  the  Spirit  of  Truth  is  come,  to  guide  you  into  all  Truth.  Verily, 
He  speaketh  not  from  Himself,  nay,  but  rather  from  the  All-Knowing 
and  Wise.  He  is  the  One  whom  the  Son  hath  glorified.  .  .  .  Abandon 
that  which  is  before  you,  O  people  of  the  earth,  and  take  that  which  is 
commanded  you  by  Him  who  is  the  Powerful,  the  Faithful.” 

And  in  a  letter  to  the  Pope,  written  from  Adrianople  in  1867, 
he  says  : — 

“  Beware  lest  celebration  hinder  you  from  the  Celebrated  and  worship 
hinder  you  from  the  Worshipped  One  !  Behold  the  Lord,  the  Mighty, 
the  All-Knowing  !  He  hath  come  to  minister  to  the  life  of  the  world, 
and  for  the  uniting  of  whatever  dwelleth  therein.  Come,  O  ye  people, 
to  the  Dawning  Place  of  Revelation  !  Tarry  not,  even  for  an  hour  ! 
Are  ye  learned  in  the  Gospel,  and  yet  are  unable  to  see  the  Lord  of 
Glory  ? 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


ii5 

“  This  beseemeth  you  not,  O  learned  concourse  !  Say  then,  if  ye 
deny  this  matter,  by  what  proof  do  you  believe  in  God  ?  Produce  your 
proof.  .  . 

Just  as  in  these  letters  to  Christians  he  announces  the  fulfilment 
of  the  Gospel  promises,  so  he  proclaims  also  to  Muhammadans, 
Jews,  Zoroastrians  and  the  people  of  other  faiths  the  fulfilment  of 
the  promises  of  their  Holy  Books.  He  addresses  all  men  as  the 
sheep  of  God,  who  have  hitherto  been  divided  into  different 
flocks  and  sheltered  in  different  folds.  His  message,  he  says,  is 
the  Voice  of  God,  the  Good  Shepherd,  who  has  come  in  the  fulness 
of  time  to  gather  His  scattered  sheep  into  one  flock,  removing 
the  barriers  between  them,  “  that  there  may  be  one  fold  and  One 
Shepherd.” 

A  New  Situation. 

The  position  of  Baha’u’llah  among  the  prophets  is  unprecedented 
and  unique,  because  the  condition  of  the  world  at  the  time  of  his 
advent  was  unprecedented  and  unique.  By  a  long  and  chequered 
process  of  development  in  religion,  science,  art  and  civilization 
the  world  had  become  ripe  for  a  teaching  of  Unity.  The  barriers 
which  in  previous  centuries  had  made  a  world-unity  impossible 
were  ready  to  crumble  when  Baha’u’llah  appeared,  and  since  his 
birth,  in  1817,  and  more  especially  since  the  promulgation  of  his 
teachings  began,  these  barriers  have  been  breaking  down  in  most 
astonishing  fashion.  Be  the  explanation  what  it  may,  about  the 
fact  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

In  the  days  of  previous  prophets  geographical  barriers  alone 
were  amply  sufficient  to  prevent  world-unity.  Now  that  obstacle 
has  been  overcome.  For  the  first  time  in  human  history  men 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  globe  are  able  to  communicate  with  each 
other  quickly  and  easily.  Things  done  in  Europe  yesterday  are 
known  in  every  continent  of  the  world  to-day,  and  a  speech  made 
in  America  to-day  may  be  read  in  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa 
to-morrow. 

Another  great  obstacle  was  the  language  difficulty.  Thanks 
to  the  study  and  teaching  of  foreign  languages,  that  difficulty  has 
already  been  to  a  large  extent  overcome  ;  and  there  is  every  reason 
to  suppose  that  ere  many  years  an  international  auxiliary  language 


1 1 6  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


will  be  adopted  and  taught  in  all  the  schools  of  the  world.  Then 
this  difficulty  also  will  be  completely  removed. 

The  third  great  obstacle  was  religious  prejudice  and  intolerance. 
That,  too,  is  disappearing.  Men’s  minds  are  becoming  more  open. 
The  education  of  the  people  is  passing  more  and  more  out  of  the 
hands  of  sectarian  priests  ;  and  new  and  more  liberal  ideas  can  no 
longer  be  prevented  from  penetrating  into  even  the  most  exclusive 
and  conservative  circles. 

Baha’u’llah  is  thus  the  first  of  the  great  prophets  whose  message 
has  become  known  within  a  period  of  comparatively  few  years 
in  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  Within  a  short  time  the  essential 
teachings  of  Baha’u’llah,  accurately  translated  from  his  own 
authentic  writings,  will  be  directly  accessible  to  every  man,  woman 
and  child  in  the  world  who  is  able  to  read. 

Fulness  of  the  Baha’i  Revelation. 

The  Baha’i  Revelation  is  unprecedented  and  unique  among  the 
faiths  of  the  world  by  reason  of  the  fulness  and  completeness  of 
its  authentic  records.  The  recorded  words  that  can  with  certainty 
be  attributed  to  Christ,  to  Moses,  to  Zoroaster,  to  Buddha,  to 
Krishna,  are  very  few,  and  leave  many  modern  questions  of  great 
practical  importance  unanswered.  Many  of  the  teachings 
commonly  attributed  to  these  religious  founders  are  of  doubtful 
authenticity,  and  some  are  evidently  accretions  of  later  date. 
The  Muhammadans  possess  in  the  Qur’an,  and  in  a  large  store  of 
traditions,  a  much  fuller  record  of  the  life  and  teachings  of  their 
prophet,  but  Muhammad  himself,  though  inspired,  was  illiterate, 
as  were  most  of  his  early  followers.  The  methods  employed  for 
recording  and  spreading  his  teachings  were  in  many  respects 
unsatisfactory,  and  the  authenticity  of  many  of  the  traditions  is 
very  doubtful.  As  a  result,  differences  of  interpretation  and 
conflicting  opinions  have  caused  divisions  and  dissensions  in 
Islam,  as  in  all  previous  religious  communities. 

On  the  other  hand,  both  the  Bab  and  Baha’u’llah  wrote 
copiously  and  with  great  eloquence  and  power.  As  both  were 
debarred  from  public  speaking  and  spent  most  of  their  lives  (after 
the  declaration  of  their  mission)  in  prison,  they  devoted  a  large 
proportion  of  their  time  to  writing,  with  the  result  that  in  richness 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


ii  7 

of  authentic  scriptures  the  Baha’i  Revelation  is  unapproached  by  any 
of  its  predecessors.  Clear  and  full  expositions  are  given  of  many 
truths  which  were  but  dimly  foreshadowed  in  previous  revelations, 
and  the  eternal  principles  of  truth,  which  all  the  prophets  have 
taught,  have  been  applied  to  the  problems  which  are  facing  the 
world  to-day — problems  of  the  utmost  complexity  and  difficulty, 
many  of  which  had  not  arisen  in  the  days  of  former  prophets. 
It  is  evident  that  this  full  record  of  authentic  revelation  must  have 
a  powerful  effect  in  preventing  misunderstandings  in  the  future 
and  in  clearing  up  those  misunderstandings  of  the  past  which  have 
kept  the  various  sects  asunder. 

The  Baha’i  Covenant. 

The  Baha’i  Revelation  is  unprecedented  and  unique  in  still 
another  way.  Before  the  death  of  Baha’u’llah  he  repeatedly 
put  in  writing  a  Covenant  appointing  his  eldest  son  ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 
whom  he  often  refers  to  as  “  The  Branch,”  or  “  The  Most 
Great  Branch,”  as  the  authorized  interpreter  of  the  teachings, 
and  declaring  that  any  explanations  or  interpretations  given  by 
him  are  to  be  accepted  as  of  equal  authority  with  the  words  of 
Baha’u’llah  himself.  In  his  Will  and  Testament  he  says : — 

“  Reflect  upon  that  which  is  revealed  in  my  Book,  the  Aqdas  :  ‘  When 
the  Ocean  of  my  Presence  hath  ebbed,  and  the  Book  of  my  Revelation 
hath  been  completed,  turn  your  faces  toward  Him  whom  God  hath 
purposed,  who  hath  branched  from  this  Ancient  Root !  ’  The  reference 
in  this  blessed  verse  is  to  the  Most  Great  Branch.” 

And  in  the  Tablet  of  the  Branchy  in  which  he  explains  the 
station  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  he  says  : — 

“  O  people  !  Praise  ye  God  for  the  manifestation  of  the  Branch,  for 
verily  it  is  the  most  great  favour  unto  you  and  the  most  perfect  blessing 
upon  you  ;  and  through  Him  every  mouldering  bone  is  quickened. 
Whosoever  turns  to  Him  hath  surely  turned  unto  God,  and  whosoever 
turns  away  from  Him  hath  turned  away  from  my  Beauty,  denied  my  Proof 
and  is  of  those  who  transgress.” 

After  the  death  of  Baha’u’llah,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  had  abundant 
opportunities,  both  in  his  own  home  and  on  his  extensive  travels, 
of  meeting  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world  and  of  all  shades  of 


1 1 8  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


opinion.  He  heard  all  their  questions,  their  difficulties  and 
objections,  and  gave  full  explanations  which  were  carefully 
recorded  in  writing.  During  a  long  series  of  years  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
continued  this  work  of  elucidating  the  teachings  and  showing  their 
application  to  the  most  varied  problems  of  modern  life.  Differences 
of  opinion  which  have  arisen  among  believers  have  been  referred 
to  him  and  authoritatively  settled,  and  thus  the  risks  of  future 
misunderstandings  have  been  further  reduced. 

Baha’u’llah  further  arranged  that  after  the  death  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  an  international  spiritual  assembly  (Baytu’l-‘Adl),  representa¬ 
tive  of  all  Baha’is  throughout  the  world,  should  be  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  Cause,  to  control  and  co-ordinate 
all  its  activities,  prevent  divisions  and  schisms,  and  preserve  the 
teachings  from  corruption  and  misrepresentation.1 

Moreover,  Baha’u’llah  expressly  forbade  interpretation  of  the 
teachings  by  anyone  but  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  and  after  him  the  Inter¬ 
national  Baytu’l-‘Adl.  In  the  Book  of  Aqdas  he  declared  that  all 
explanations  or  interpretations  of  the  sacred  texts  contrary  to  the 
obvious  sense  thereof  are  forbidden.  In  a  “  thousand  or  thousands 
of  years  ”  another  Manifestation  will  appear,  under  the  shadow  of 
Baha’u’llah,  with  clear  proofs  of  His  Mission,  but  until  then  the 
words  of  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  and  the  decisions  of  the 
International  Baytu’l-‘Adl  constitute  the  authorities  to  which  all 
believers  must  turn  for  guidance.  No  Baha’i  may  found  a  school 
or  sect  based  on  any  particular  interpretation  of  the  teachings  or 
any  supposed  divine  revelation.  Anyone  contravening  these 
injunctions  is  considered  a  “Covenant-breaker”  or  “  Naqiz.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  One  of  the  enemies  of  the  Cause  is  he  who  endeavours  to  interpret 
the  words  of  Baha’u’llah  and  thereby  colours  the  meaning  according 
to  his  capacity,  and  collects  around  him  a  following,  forming  a  different 
sect,  promoting  his  own  station,  and  making  a  division  in  the  Cause.” — Star 
of  the  West ,  vol.  iii.  p.  8. 

In  another  Tablet  he  writes  : — 

“  These  people  (promoters  of  schism)  are  like  the  froth  that  gathers 
on  the  surface  of  the  sea  ;  a  wave  wall  surge  from  the  ocean  of  the  Covenant 


1  Regarding  the  International  Baytu’l-‘Adl,  see  Chapter  XV,  p.  222. 


RELIGIOUS  UNITY 


119 

and  through  the  power  of  the  Abha  Kingdom  will  cast  this  foam  ashore. 

.  .  These  corrupt  thoughts  that  emanate  from  personal  and  evil  inten¬ 
tions  will  all  vanish,  whereas  the  Covenant  of  God  shall  remain  stable 
and  secure.” — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  x.  p.  95. 

There  is  nothing  to  keep  men  from  forsaking  religion  if  they 
wish  to  do  so.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  :  “  God  Himself  does  not 
compel  the  soul  to  become  spiritual.  The  exercise  of  the  free 
human  will  is  necessary.”  The  spiritual  Covenant,  however, 
clearly  makes  sectarianism  within  the  Baha’i  community  quite 
impossible. 

No  Professional  Priesthood. 

One  other  feature  of  the  Baha’i  organization  must  be  specially 
mentioned,  and  that  is  the  absence  of  a  professional  priesthood. 
Voluntary  contributions  towards  the  expenses  of  teachers  are 
permitted  and  many  devote  their  whole  time  to  work  for  the 
Cause,  but  all  Baha’is  are  expected  to  share  in  the  work  of 
teaching,  etc.,  according  to  their  opportunity  and  ability,  and 
there  is  no  special  class  distinguished  from  their  fellow  believers 
by  the  exclusive  exercise  of  priestly  functions  and  prerogatives. 

In  former  ages  priesthoods  were  necessary,  because  people  were 
illiterate  and  uneducated  and  were  dependent  on  priests  for  their 
religious  instruction,  for  the  conduct  of  religious  rites  and 
ceremonies,  for  the  administration  of  justice,  etc.  Now,  however, 
times  have  changed.  Education  is  fast  becoming  universal,  and 
if  the  commands  of  Baha’u’llah  are  carried  out,  every  boy  and  girl 
in  the  world  will  receive  a  sound  education.  Each  individual 
will  then  be  able  to  study  the  Scriptures  for  himself,  to  draw  the 
Water  of  Life  for  himself,  direct  from  the  Fountain-head. 
Elaborate  rites  and  ceremonies,  requiring  the  services  of  a  special 
profession  or  caste,  have  no  place  in  the  Baha’i  system  \  and  the 
administration  of  justice  is  entrusted  to  the  authorities  instituted 
for  that  purpose. 

For  a  child  a  teacher  is  necessary,  but  the  aim  of  the  true 
teacher  is  to  fit  his  pupil  to  do  without  a  teacher  ;  to  see  things 
with  his  own  eyes,  hear  with  his  own  ears,  and  understand  with  his 
own  mind.  Just  so,  in  the  childhood  of  the  race,  the  priest  is 
necessary,  but  his  real  work  is  to  enable  men  to  do  without  him  : 


120  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE-  NEW  ERA 

to  see  things  divine  with  their  own  eyes,  hear  them  with  their 
own  ears  and  understand  them  with  their  own  minds.  Now 
the  priest’s  work  is  all  but  accomplished,  and  the  aim  of  the  Baha’i 
teaching  is  to  complete  that  work,  to  make  men  independent 
of  all  save  God,  so  that  they  can  turn  directly  to  Him,  i.e.  to  His 
Manifestation.  When  all  turn  to  one  Centre,  then  there  can 
be  no  cross-purposes  or  confusion  ;  and  the  nearer  all  draw  to 
the  Centre,  the  nearer  they  will  draw  to  each  other. 


CHAPTER  IX 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


“  O  people  of  God  !  Be  not  occupied  with  yourselves.  Be  intent  on  the 
betterment  of  the  world  and  the  training  of  nations.” — Baha’u’llah. 


Religion  the  Basis  of  Civilization. 

According  to  the  Baha’i  view,  the  problems  of  human  life, 
individual  and  social,  are  so  inconceivably  complex  that  the 
ordinary  human  intellect  is  incapable  by  itself  of  solving  them 
aright.  Only  the  Omniscient  fully  knows  the  purpose  of  creation 
and  how  that  purpose  may  be  achieved.  Through  the  prophets 
He  shows  to  mankind  the  true  goal  of  human  life  and  the  right 
path  of  progress  ;  and  the  building  up  of  a  true  civilization  depends 
upon  faithful  adherence  to  the  guidance  of  prophetic  Revelation. 
Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  Religion  is  the  greatest  instrument  for  the  order  of  the  world  and 
the  tranquillity  of  all  existent  beings.  The  weakening  of  the  pillars 
of  religion  has  encouraged  the  ignorant  and  rendered  them  audacious 
and  arrogant.  Truly  I  say,  whatever  lowers  the  lofty  station  of  religion 
will  increase  heedlessness  in  the  wicked,  and  finally  result  in  anarchy.  .  .  . 

“  Consider  the  civilization  of  the  people  of  the  Occident — how  it 
has  occasioned  commotion  and  agitation  to  the  people  of  the  world. 
Infernal  instruments  have  been  devised,  and  such  atrocity  is  displayed  in 
the  destruction  of  life  as  has  not  been  seen  by  the  eye  of  the  world,  nor 
heard  by  the  ear  of  nations.  It  is  impossible  to  reform  these  violent, 
overwhelming  evils,  except  the  peoples  of  the  world  become  united 
upon  a  certain  issue  or  under  the  shadow  of  One  Religion.  .  .  . 

“  O  people  of  Baha  !  Each  one  of  the  revealed  Commands  is  a  mighty 
stronghold  for  the  protection  of  the  world.” — Words  of  Paradise. 

The  present  state  of  Europe  and  of  the  world  in  general 

eloquently  confirms  the  truth  of  these  words  written  so  many 

121 


122 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


years  ago.  Neglect  of  the  prophetic  commands  and  the  prevalence 
of  irreligion  have  been  accompanied  by  disorder  and  destruction 
on  the  most  terrible  scale,  and,  without  the  change  of  heart  and 
aim  which  is  the  essential  characteristic  of  true  religion,  the 
reform  of  society  seems  an  utter  impossibility. 

Justice. 

In  the  little  book  of  Hidden  Words ,  in  which  Baha’u’llah 
gives  in  brief  the  essence  of  the  prophetic  teachings,  his  first  counsel 
refers  to  the  individual  life  :  “  Possess  a  good,  a  pure,  an  enlightened 
heart.”  The  next  indicates  the  fundamental  principle  of  true 
social  life  : — 

“  Justice  is  loved  above  all.  Neglect  it  not  if  thou  desirest  Me.  By 
it  thou  wilt  be  strengthened  to  perceive  things  with  thine  own  eyes  and 
not  by  the  eyes  of  men,  to  know  them  by  thine  own  knowledge  and  not 
by  the  knowledge  of  any  in  the  world.” 

The  first  essential  of  social  life  is  that  individuals  should  become 
capable  of  discerning  the  true  from  the  false  and  right  from  wrong, 
and  of  seeing  things  in  their  true  proportions.  The  greatest 
cause  of  spiritual  and  social  blindness,  and  the  greatest  foe  of 
social  progress,  is  selfishness.  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  O  ye  sons  of  intelligence  !  The  thin  eyelid  prevents  the  eye  from 
seeing  the  world  and  what  is  contained  therein.  Then  think  of  the 
result  when  the  curtain  of  greed  covers  the  sight  of  the  heart ! 

“  O  people  !  The  darkness  of  greed  and  envy  obscures  the  light  of 
the  soul  as  the  cloud  prevents  the  penetration  of  the  sun’s  rays  ”  (Tablet 
to  some  Persian  Zoroastrian  Baha’is). 

Long  experience  is  at  last  convincing  men  of  the  truth  of  the 
prophetic  teaching  that  selfish  views  and  selfish  actions  inevitably 
bring  social  disaster,  and  that  if  humanity  is  not  to  perish 
ingloriously,  each  must  look  on  the  things  of  his  neighbour  as  of 
equal  importance  with  his  own,  and  subordinate  his  own  interests 
to  those  of  humanity  as  a  whole.  In  this  way  the  interests  of 
each  and  all  will  ultimately  be  best  served.  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  O  son  of  man  !  If  thou  lookest  towards  mercy,  regard  not  that  which 
benefits  thee,  and  hold  to  that  which  will  benefit  thy  fellow-men.  If 
thou  lookest  towards  justice,  choose  thou  for  others  what  thou  choosest  for 
thyself.” — Words  of  Paradise. 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


123 


Government. 

While  stating  with  the  utmost  clearness  those  fundamental 
principles  of  social  organization  which  will  be  the  basis  of  true 
civilization  during  the  next  thousand  or  thousands  of  years — 
until  another  prophet  comes  with  a  new  Message — Baha’u’llah 
does  not  lay  down  hard  and  fast  rules  for  the  details  of  social  life. 
In  a  developing  society  laws  must  constantly  be  modified  in 
accordance  with  the  changing  requirements  of  the  times,  and  the 
system  proposed  by  the  founders  of  the  Baha’i  Movement  is 
sufficiently  elastic  to  make  full  provision  for  this  necessity. 
Baha’u’llah  counsels,  although  he  does  not  definitely  enjoin,  the 
form  of  national  government  known  as  “  Constitutional 
Monarchy.”  In  the  Glad  Tidings  he  says  : — 

“  Although  a  democratic  form  of  government  profits  all  the  people 
of  the  world,  yet  the  majesty  of  kingship  is  one  of  the  signs  of  God. 
We  do  not  wish  that  the  countries  of  the  world  should  be  deprived  thereof. 
If  statesmen  combine  the  two  into  one  form,  their  reward  will  be  great 
before  God.” 

In  discussing  the  subject  on  one  occasion,  when  the  writer 
was  present,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  spoke,  in  substance,  as  follows  : — 

“  Despotic  government  is  bad.  A  republican  form  of  government, 
as  in  the  United  States,  is  good,  but  a  constitutional  form  of  monarchy 
is  better,  because  it  combines  the  virtues  of  both  republic  and  kingdom. 
A  king  has  a  distinction  that  a  president,  elected  for  a  period  of  years,  has 
not.  The  kingship  should  pass  from  father  to  son.  This  gives  a  con¬ 
tinuity  and  stability  to  the  government  that  is  lacking  in  a  republic.  When 
the  head  of  the  government  is  elected  every  few  years,  the  whole  country 
at  the  time  of  the  presidential  election  becomes  immersed  in  political 
contests  and  agitation.  When  the  country  is  in  such  a  state  justice  will 
not  prevail. 

“  Q. — If  the  king  proves  unworthy  will  the  parliament  have  power 
to  dethrone  him  ? 

“  A . — The  parliament  can  dethrone  him  certainly,  and  can  appoint 
a  new  one.  In  a  constitutional  monarchy  the  king  has  no  legislative 
power.  All  affairs  are  settled  by  the  cabinet  and  the  parliament. 

“  Q. — If  there  is  a  hereditary  monarchy  should  there  be  a  hereditary 
nobility,  too  ? 

“  A. — One  who  serves  his  country  well  should  be  rewarded  by  fitting 
honours,  but  no  one  should  be  able  to  claim  that  he  must  be  honoured 
because  his  father  was,  for  example,  a  great  general.  A  person  who 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


124 

does  not  serve  the  nation  will  have  no  distinction  conferred  upon  him. 
He  may  be  respected  because  of  his  father’s  services  but,  so  far  as 
offices  are  concerned,  he  will  have  no  preference.” 

The  function  of  the  government  is  to  administer  the  law  with 
justice  and  impartiality.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  All  men  are  equal  before  the  law,  which  must  reign  absolutely.  .  .  . 
“  When  perfect  justice  reigns  in  every  country  of  the  Eastern  and 
Western  world,  then  will  the  earth  become  a  place  of  beauty.  The 
dignity  and  equality  of  every  servant  of  God  will  be  acknowledged  ; 
the  ideal  of  the  solidarity  of  the  human  race,  the  true  brotherhood  of 
man,  will  be  realized,  and  the  glorious  light  of  the  Sun  of  Truth  will  illu¬ 
mine  the  souls  of  all  men.” — Paris  Talks ,  second  edition,  p.  143. 


Political  Freedom. 

Although  advocating  as  the  ideal  condition  a  fully  democratic 
or  rather  representative  form  of  government,  local,  national  and 
international,  Baha’u’llah  teaches  that  this  is  possible  only  when 
men  have  attained  a  sufficiently  high  degree  of  individual  and  social 
development.  Suddenly  to  grant  full  self-government  to  people 
without  education,  who  are  dominated  by  selfish  desires  and  are  in¬ 
experienced  in  the  conduct  of  public  affairs,  would  be  disastrous. 
There  is  nothing  more  dangerous  than  freedom  for  those  who  are 
not  fit  to  use  it  wisely.  Baha’u’llah  writes  in  the  Book  of  Aqdas  : — 

“We  observe  that  some  people  seek  for  freedom  and  boast  over  it,  but 
are  in  obvious  ignorance.  Freedom,  for  such,  results  in  confusion,  the 
fire  of  which  cannot  be  extinguished.  Thus  warns  you  the  All-Knowing, 
the  Reckoner.  Know  ye  that  the  manifestations  of  absolute  freedom  are 
the  animals.  As  for  man,  it  is  incumbent  upon  him  to  be  under  laws 
which  will  protect  him  from  his  own  ignorance  and  the  injury  of  the 
treacherous  ones.  Freedom  causes  man  to  forsake  the  requirements  of 
courtesy  and  dignity,  and  suffers  him  to  be  of  the  vicious.  Consider 
human  beings  as  sheep.  There  must  be  a  shepherd  for  them.  Verily 
this  is  an  indubitable  certainty.  We  approve  of  freedom  under  certain 
circumstances  and  not  under  others.  Say  :  Freedom  consists  in  following 
My  Commandments,  were  ye  of  those  who  know.  If  people  would  follow 
that  which  We  have  revealed  from  the  heaven  of  Inspiration,  they  would 
surely  find  their  souls  in  complete  freedom.  .  .  .  Say  :  The  freedom 
which  benefits  you  consists  in  servitude  to  the  True  God,  and  he 
who  tastes  its  sweetness  will  never  exchange  it  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
and  earth.” 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


125 

For  improving  the  condition  of  backward  races  and  nations, 
the  Divine  teachings  are  the  sovereign  remedy.  When  both 
people  and  politicians  learn  and  adopt  these  teachings  the  nations 
will  be  freed  from  all  their  bonds. 

Rulers  and  Subjects. 

Baha’u’llah  forbids  tyranny  and  oppression  in  the  most  emphatic 
terms.  In  Hidden  Words  he  writes  : — 

“  O  ye  oppressors  of  the  earth !  Withdraw  your  hands  from  oppression, 
for  I  have  vowed  not  to  suffer  injustice  to  pass  unheeded.” 

Those  entrusted  with  the  framing  and  administration  of  laws 
and  regulations  must 

“  hold  fast  to  the  rope  of  Consultation,  and  decide  upon  and  execute 
that  which  is  conducive  to  the  people’s  security,  affluence,  welfare  and 
tranquillity  ;  for  if  matters  be  arranged  otherwise,  it  will  lead  to  discord 
and  tumult.” — Tablet  of  the  World. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  people  must  be  law-abiding  and  loyal 
to  the  just  government.  They  must  rely  on  educational  methods 
and  on  the  force  of  good  example,  not  on  violence,  for  bringing 
about  a  better  state  of  affairs  in  the  nation.  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  In  every  country  where  any  of  this  community  reside,  they  must 
behave  toward  the  government  of  that  country  with  faithfulness,  truthful¬ 
ness  and  obedience.” — Glad  Tidings. 

“  O  people  of  God  !  Adorn  your  temples  with  the  mantle  of  trust¬ 
worthiness  and  integrity ;  then  assist  your  Lord  with  the  hosts  of  good 
deeds  and  good  morals.  Verily  We  have  forbidden  you  sedition  and 
strife,  in  My  Books  and  Epistles,  in  My  Writings  and  Tablets  ;  and  by 
this  We  have  desired  only  your  loftiness  and  exaltation.” — Tablet  of 
Ishraqat. 


Appointment  and  Promotion. 

In  making  appointments,  the  only  criterion  must  be  fitness 
for  the  position.  Before  this  paramount  consideration,  all  others, 
such  as  seniority,  social  or  financial  status,  family  connection  or 
personal  friendship,  must  give  way.  Baha’u’llah  says  in  the 
Tablet  of  Ishraqat  : — 


126  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

“  The  fifth  Ishraq  (Effulgence)  is  the  knowledge  by  governments  of 
the  condition  of  the  governed,  and  the  conferring  of  ranks  according  to 
desert  and  merit.  Regard  to  this  matter  is  strictly  enjoined  upon  every 
chief  and  ruler,  that  haply  traitors  may  not  usurp  the  positions  of  trust¬ 
worthy  men  nor  spoilers  occupy  the  seats  of  guardians.” 

It  needs  but  little  consideration  to  show  that  when  this  principle 
becomes  generally  accepted  and  acted  upon,  the  transformation 
in  our  social  life  will  be  astounding.  When  each  individual  is 
given  the  position  for  which  his  talents  and  capabilities  specially 
fit  him  he  will  be  able  to  put  his  heart  into  his  work  and  become 
an  artist  in  his  profession,  with  incalculable  benefit  to  himself  and 
the  rest  of  the  world. 

Economic  Problems. 

The  Baha’i  teachings  insist  in  the  strongest  terms  on  the  need 
for  reform  in  the  economic  relations  of  rich  and  poor. 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  The  arrangements  of  the  circumstances  of  the  people  must  be  such 
that  poverty  shall  disappear,  that  everyone,  as  far  as  possible,  according 
to  his  rank  and  position,  shall  share  in  comfort  and  well-being.  We  see 
among  us  men  who  are  overburdened  with  riches  on  the  one  hand,  and 
on  the  other  those  unfortunate  ones  who  starve  with  nothing  ;  those  who 
possess  several  stately  palaces,  and  those  who  have  not  where  to  lay  their 
head.  .  .  .  This  condition  of  affairs  is  wrong,  and  must  be  remedied. 
Now  the  remedy  must  be  carefully  undertaken.  It  cannot  be  done  by 
bringing  to  pass  absolute  equality  between  men.  Equality  is  a  chimera  ! 
It  is  entirely  impracticable.  Even  if  equality  could  be  achieved  it  could 
not  continue ;  and  if  its  existence  were  possible,  the  whole  order  of  the 
world  would  be  destroyed.  The  Law  of  Order  must  always  obtain 
in  the  world  of  humanity.  Heaven  has  so  decreed  in  the  creation  of 
man.  ...  Humanity,  like  a  great  army,  requires  a  general,  captains, 
under-officers  in  their  degree,  and  soldiers,  each  with  their  appointed 
duties.  Degrees  are  absolutely  necessary  to  ensure  an  orderly  organiza¬ 
tion.  An  army  could  not  be  composed  of  generals  alone,  or  of  captains 
only,  or  of  nothing  but  soldiers  without  anyone  in  authority. 

“  Certainly,  some  being  enormously  rich  and  others  lamentably  poor, 
an  organization  is  necessary  to  control  and  improve  this  state  of  affairs.  It 
is  important  to  limit  riches,  as  it  is  also  of  importance  to  limit  poverty. 
Either  extreme  is  not  good.  .  .  .  When  we  see  poverty  allowed  to 
reach  a  condition  of  starvation,  it  is  a  sure  sign  that  somewhere  we  shall 
find  tyranny.  Men  must  bestir  themselves  in  this  matter,  and  no  longer 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


127 

delay  in  altering  conditions  which  bring  the  misery  of  grinding  poverty 
to  a  very  large  number  of  people. 

“  The  rich  must  give  of  their  abundance ;  they  must  soften  their 
hearts  and  cultivate  a  compassionate  intelligence,  taking  thought  for  those 
sad  ones  who  are  suffering  from  lack  of  the  very  necessaries  of  life. 

“  There  must  be  special  laws  made,  dealing  with  these  extremes  oi 
riches  and  want.  .  .  .  The  government  of  the  countries  should  conform 
to  the  Divine  Law  which  gives  equal  justice  to  all.  .  .  .  Not  until  thi? 
is  done  will  the  Law  of  God  be  obeyed.” — Paris  Talks ,  second  edition, 
p.  140. 

Public  Finance. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  suggests  that  each  town  and  village  or  district 
should  be  entrusted  as  far  as  possible  with  the  administration  of 
fiscal  matters  within  its  own  area  and  should  contribute  its  due 
proportion  for  the  expenses  of  the  general  government.  One 
of  the  principal  sources  of  revenue  should  be  a  graduated  income 
tax.  If  a  man’s  income  does  not  exceed  his  necessary  expenditure 
he  should  not  be  required  to  pay  any  tax,  but  in  all  cases  where 
income  exceeds  the  necessary  expenditure  a  tax  should  be  levied, 
the  percentage  of  tax  increasing  as  the  surplus  of  income  over 
necessary  expenditure  increases. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  a  person,  through  illness,  poor  crops,  or 
other  cause  for  which  he  is  not  responsible,  is  unable  to  earn  an 
income  sufficient  to  meet  his  necessary  expenses  for  the  year, 
then  what  he  lacks  for  the  maintenance  of  himself  and  his  family 
should  be  supplied  out  of  public  funds. 

There  will  also  be  other  sources  of  public  revenue,  e.g.  from 
intestate  estates,  mines,  treasure- trove  and  voluntary  contributions  ; 
while  among  the  expenditures  will  be  grants  for  the  support  of 
the  infirm,  of  orphans,  of  schools,  of  the  deaf  and  blind,  and  for 
the  maintenence  of  public  health.  Thus  the  welfare  and  comfort 
of  all  will  be  provided  for.1 

Voluntary  Sharing. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Central  Organization  for  a  Durable  Peace , 
written  in  1919,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

1  For  further  particulars  see  ‘AbduTBaha’s  published  addresses,  especially 
those  given  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


128  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  Among  the  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah.  is  voluntary  sharing  of  one’s 
property  with  others  among  mankind.  This  voluntary  sharing  is  greater 
than  (legally  imposed)  equality,  and  consists  in  this,  that  one  should 
not  prefer  oneself  to  others,  but  rather  should  sacrifice  one’s  life  and  pro¬ 
perty  for  others.  But  this  should  not  be  introduced  by  coercion  so  that 
it  becomes  a  law  which  man  is  compelled  to  follow.  Nay,  rather,  man 
should  voluntarily  and  of  his  own  choice  sacrifice  his  property  and  life 
for  others,  and  spend  willingly  for  the  poor,  just  as  is  done  in  Persia  among 
the  Baha’is.” 

Work  for  All. 

One  of  the  most  important  instructions  of  Baha’u’llah  in  regard 
to  the  economic  question  is  that  all  must  engage  in  useful  work. 
There  must  be  no  drones  in  the  social  hive,  no  able-bodied  parasites 
on  society.  He  says  : — 

“  It  is  enjoined  on  every  one  of  you  to  engage  in  some  occupation — 
some  art,  trade  or  the  like.  We  have  made  this — your  occupation — 
identical  with  the  worship  of  God,  the  True  One.  Reflect,  O  people, 
upon  the  Mercy  of  God  and  upon  His  Favours,  then  thank  Him  in  morn¬ 
ings  and  evenings. 

“  Waste  not  your  time  in  idleness  and  indolence,  and  occupy  yourselves 
with  that  which  will  profit  yourselves  and  others  besides  yourselves. 
Thus  hath  the  matter  been  decreed  in  this  Tablet,  from  the  Horizon  of 
which  the  Sun  of  Wisdom  and  Divine  Utterance  is  gleaming  !  The  most 
despised  of  men  before  God  is  he  who  sits  and  begs.  Cling  unto  the 
rope  of  means,  relying  upon  God,  the  Causer  of  Causes.” — Glad  Tidings. 

How  much  of  the  energy  employed  in  the  business  world  of 
to-day  is  expended  simply  in  cancelling  and  neutralizing  the 
efforts  of  other  people — in  useless  strife  and  competition  !  And 
how  much  in  ways  that  are  still  more  injurious  !  Were  all 
to  work,  and  were  all  work,  whether  of  brain  or  hand,  of  a  nature 
profitable  to  mankind,  as  Baha’u’llah  commands,  then  the  supplies 
of  everything  necessary  for  a  healthy,  comfortable  and  noble  life 
would  amply  suffice  for  all.  There  need  be  no  slums,  no  starva¬ 
tion,  no  destitution,  no  industrial  slavery,  no  health-destroying 
drudgery. 

The  Ethics  of  Wealth. 

According  to  the  Baha’i  teachings,  riches  rightly  acquired 
and  rightly  used  are  honourable  and  praiseworthy.  Services 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


129 

rendered  should  be  adequately  rewarded.  Baha’u’llah  says  in 
the  Tablet  of  Tarazat  : — 

“  The  people  of  Baha  must  not  refuse  to  discharge  the  due  reward  of 
anyone,  and  must  respect  possessors  of  talent.  .  .  .  One  must  speak  with 
justice  and  recognize  the  worth  of  benefits. ” 

With  regard  to  interest  on  money,  Baha’u’llah  writes  in  the 
Tablet  of  Ishraqat  as  follows  : — 

“  Most  of  the  people  are  found  to  be  in  need  of  this  matter  ;  for  if  no 
interest  be  allowed,  affairs  (business)  will  be  trammelled  and  obstructed. 

.  .  .  A  person  is  rarely  found  who  would  lend  money  to  anyone  upon 
the  principle  of  ‘  Qard-i-hasan  ’  (literally  1  good  loan,’  i.e.  money  advanced 
without  interest  and  repaid  at  the  pleasure  of  the  borrower).  Conse¬ 
quently,  out  of  favour  to  the  servants,  We  have  appointed  ‘  profit  on 
money  ’  to  be  current,  among  other  business  transactions  which  are  in 
force  among  people.  That  is  ...  it  is  allowable,  lawful  and  pure  to 
charge  interest  on  money  .  .  .  but  this  matter  must  be  conducted  with 
moderation  and  justice.  The  Pen  of  Glory  has  withheld  itself  from 
laying  down  its  limits,  as  a  Wisdom  from  His  Presence  and  as  a  convenience 
for  His  servants.  We  exhort  the  friends  of  God  to  act  with  fairness 
and  justice,  and  in  such  a  way  that  the  mercy  of  His  beloved  ones,  and 
their  compassion,  may  be  manifested  toward  each  other.  .  .  . 

“  The  execution  of  these  matters  has  been  placed  in  charge  of  the  men 
of  the  House  of  Justice,  in  order  that  they  may  act  in  accordance  with 
the  exigencies  of  the  time  and  with  wisdom.” 

No  Industrial  Slavery. 

In  the  Book  of  A qdas  Baha’u’llah  forbids  slavery,  and  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  has  explained  that  not  only  chattel  slavery,  but  also  industrial 
slavery,  is  contrary  to  the  law  of  God.  When  in  the  United 
States  in  1912,  he  said  to  the  American  people  : — 

“  Between  i860  and  1865  you  did  a  wonderful  thing;  you  abolished 
chattel  slavery ;  but  to-day  you  must  do  a  much  more  wonderful  thing  : 
you  must  abolish  industrial  slavery.  .  .  . 

“  The  solution  of  economic  questions  will  not  be  brought  about  by 
array  of  capital  against  labour,  and  labour  against  capital,  in  strife  and 
conflict,  but  by  the  voluntary  attitude  of  good-will  on  both  sides.  Then 
a  real  and  lasting  justness  of  conditions  will  be  secured.  .  .  . 

“  Among  the  Baha’is  there  are  no  extortionate,  mercenary  and  unjust 
practices,  no  rebellious  demands,  no  revolutionary  uprisings  against  exist¬ 
ing  governments.  .  . 


9 


130 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  It  will  not  be  possible  in  the  future  for  men  to  amass  great  fortunes 
by  the  labours  of  others.  The  rich  will  willingly  divide.  They  will 
come  to  this  gradually,  naturally,  by  their  own  volition.  It  will  never 
be  accomplished  by  war  and  bloodshed.” — Star  of  the  West,  vol.  vii. 
No.  15,  p.  147. 

It  is  by  friendly  consultation  and  co-operation,  by  just 
co-partnership  and  profit-sharing,  that  the  interests  of  both  capital 
and  labour  will  be  best  served.  The  harsh  weapons  of  the  strike 
and  lock-out  are  injurious,  not  only  to  the  trades  immediately 
affected,  but  to  the  community  as  a  whole.  It  is,  therefore,  the 
business  of  the  governments  to  devise  means  for  preventing  recourse 
to  such  barbarous  methods  of  settling  disputes.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
said  at  Dublin,  New  Hampshire,  in  1912  : — 

“  Now  I  want  to  tell  you  about  the  law  of  God.  According  to  the 
divine  law,  employees  should  not  be  paid  merely  by  wages.  Nay,  rather 
they  should  be  partners  in  every  work.  The  question  of  socialization  is 
very  difficult.  It  will  not  be  solved  by  strikes  for  wages.  All  the  govern¬ 
ments  of  the  world  must  be  united,  and  organize  an  assembly,  the  members 
of  which  shall  be  elected  from  the  parliaments  and  the  noble  ones  of  the 
nations.  These  must  plan  with  wisdom  and  power,  so  that  neither 
the  capitalists  suffer  enormous  losses,  nor  the  labourers  become  needy. 
In  the  utmost  moderation  they  should  make  the  law,  then  announce  to 
the  public  that  the  rights  of  the  working  people  are  to  be  effectively 
preserved  ;  also  the  rights  of  the  capitalists  are  to  be  protected.  When 
such  a  general  law  is  adopted,  by  the  will  of  both  sides,  should  a  strike 
occur,  all  the  governments  of  the  world  should  collectively  resist  it. 
Otherwise  the  work  will  lead  to  much  destruction,  especially  in  Europe. 
Terrible  things  will  take  place. 

"  One  of  the  several  causes  of  a  universal  European  war  will  be  this 
question.  The  owners  of  properties,  mines  and  factories,  should  share 
their  incomes  with  their  employees,  and  give  a  fairly  certain  percentage 
of  their  profits  to  their  working-men,  in  order  that  the  employees  should 
receive,  besides  their  wages,  some  of  the  general  income  of  the  factory,  so 
that  the  employee  may  strive  with  his  soul  in  the  work.” — Star  of  the 
West ,  vol.  viii.  No.  1,  p.  7. 

Bequest  and  Inheritance. 

Baha’u’llah  states  that  a  person  should  be  free  to  dispose  of  his 
possessions  during  his  lifetime  in  any  way  he  chooses,  and  it  is 
incumbent  on  everyone  to  write  a  will  stating  how  his  property 
is  to  be  disposed  of  after  his  death  When  a  person  dies  without 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


13* 

leaving  a  will,  the  value  of  the  property  should  be  estimated  and 
divided  in  certain  stated  proportions  among  seven  classes  of 
inheritors,  namely,  children,  wife  or  husband,  father,  mother, 
brothers,  sisters  and  teachers,  the  share  of  each  diminishing  from 
the  first  to  the  last.  In  the  absence  of  one  or  more  of  these  classes, 
the  share  which  would  belong  to  them  goes  to  the  public  treasury, 
to  be  expended  on  the  poor,  the  fatherless  and  the  widows,  or  on 
useful  public  works.  If  the  deceased  has  no  heirs,  then  all  his 
property  goes  to  the  public  treasury. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  law  of  Baha’u’llah  to  prevent  a  man 
from  leaving  all  his  property  to  one  individual  if  he  pleases,  but 
Baha’is  will  naturally  be  influenced,  in  making  their  wills,  by  the 
model  Baha’u’llah  has  laid  down  for  the  case  of  intestate  estates, 
which  ensures  distribution  of  the  property  among  a  considerable 
number  of  heirs. 

Equality  of  Men  and  Women, 

One  of  the  social  principles  to  which  Baha’u’llah  attaches 
great  importance  is  that  women  should  be  regarded  as  the  equals 
of  men  and  should  enjoy  equal  rights  and  privileges,  equal  education, 
and  equal  opportunities. 

The  great  means  on  which  he  relies  for  bringing  about  the 
emancipation  of  women  is  universal  education.  Girls  are  to 
receive  as  good  an  education  as  boys.  In  fact,  the  education  of 
girls  is  even  more  important  than  that  of  boys,  for  in  time  these 
girls  will  become  mothers,  and,  as  mothers,  they  will  be  the  first 
teachers  of  the  next  generation.  Children  are  like  green  and 
tender  branches  ;  if  the  early  training  is  right  they  grow  straight, 
and  if  it  is  wrong  they  grow  crooked  ;  and  to  the  end  of  their 
lives  they  are  affected  by  the  training  of  their  earliest  years.  How 
important,  then,  that  girls  should  be  well  and  wisely  educated  ! 

During  his  Western  tours,  4  Abdu’l-Baha  had  frequent  occasion 
to  explain  the  Baha’i  teaching  on  this  subject.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  Women’s  Freedom  League  in  London  in  January  1913, 
he  said  : — 

“  Humanity  is  like  a  bird  with  its  two  wings — the  one  is  male,  the 
other  female.  Unless  both  wings  are  strong  and  impelled  by  some  common 
force,  the  bird  cannot  fly  heavenwards.  According  to  the  spirit  of  this 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


132 

age,  women  must  advance  and  fulfil  their  mission  in  all  departments 
of  life,  becoming  equal  to  men.  They  must  be  on  the  same  level  as 
men  and  enjoy  equal  rights.  This  is  my  earnest  prayer  and  it  is  one  of 
the  fundamental  principles  of  Baha’u’llah. 

“  Some  scientists  have  declared  that  the  brains  of  men  weigh  more 
than  those  of  women,  and  claim  this  as  a  proof  of  man’s  superiority.  Yet 
when  we  look  around  us  we  see  people  with  small  heads,  whose  brains 
must  weigh  little,  who  show  the  greatest  intelligence  and  great  powers 
of  understanding  ;  and  others  with  big  heads,  whose  brains  must  be 
heavy,  and  yet  they  are  witless.  Therefore  the  avoirdupois  of  the 
brain  is  no  true  measure  of  intelligence  or  superiority. 

“  When  men  bring  forward  as  a  second  proof  of  their  superiority  the 
assertion  that  women  have  not  achieved  as  much  as  men,  they  use  poor 
arguments  which  leave  history  out  of  consideration.  If  they  kept  them¬ 
selves  more  fully  informed  historically,  they  would  know  that  great 
women  have  lived  and  achieved  great  things  in  the  past,  and  that  there 
are  many  living  and  achieving  great  things  to-day.” 

Here  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  described  the  achievements  of  Zenobia 
and  other  great  women  of  the  past,  concluding  with  an  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  fearless  Mary  Magdalene,  whose  faith  remained 
firm  while  that  of  the  apostles  was  shaken.  He  continued  : — 

“  Amongst  the  women  of  our  own  time  is  Qurratu’l-‘Ayn,  the  daughter 
of  a  Muhammadan  priest.  At  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  the  Bab 
she  showed  such  tremendous  courage  and  power  that  all  who  heard  her 
were  astonished.  She  threw  aside  her  veil,  despite  the  immemorial 
custom  of  the  Persians,  and  although  it  was  considered  impolite  to  speak 
with  men,  this  heroic  woman  carried  on  controversies  with  the  most 
learned  men,  and  in  every  meeting  she  vanquished  them.  The  Persian 
Government  took  her  prisoner ;  she  was  stoned  in  the  streets,  anathema¬ 
tized,  exiled  from  town  to  town,  threatened  with  death,  but  she  never 
failed  in  her  determination  to  work  for  the  freedom  of  her  sisters.  She 
bore  persecution  and  suffering  with  the  greatest  heroism  ;  even  in  prison 
she  gained  converts.  To  a  Persian  Minister,  in  whose  house  she  wras 
imprisoned,  she  said  :  ‘You  can  kill  me  as  soon  as  you  like  but  you  cannot 
stop  the  emancipation  of  women.’  At  last  the  end  of  her  tragic  life 
came  ;  she  was  carried  into  a  garden  and  strangled.  She  put  on,  however, 
her  choicest  robes  as  if  she  were  going  to  join  a  bridal  party.  With  such 
magnanimity  and  courage  she  gave  her  life,  startling  and  thrilling  all  who 
saw  her.  She  was  truly  a  great  heroine.  To-day  in  Persia,  among  the 
Baha’is,  there  are  women  who  also  show  unflinching  courage,  and  who  are 
endowed  with  great  poetic  insight.  They  are  most  eloquent,  and  speak 
before  large  gatherings  of  people. 

“Women  must  go  on  advancing;  they  must  extend  their  knowledge 
of  science,  literature,  history,  for  the  perfection  of  humanity  Ere 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


133 

long  they  will  receive  their  rights.  Men  will  see  women  in  earnest, 
bearing  themselves  with  dignity,  improving  the  civil  and  political  life, 
opposed  to  warfare,  demanding  suffrage  and  equal  opportunities.  I 
expect  to  see  you  advance  in  all  phases  of  life  ;  then  will  your  brows  be 
crowned  with  the  diadem  of  eternal  glory.,, 


Women  and  the  New  Age. 

When  woman’s  point  of  view  receives  due  consideration  and 
woman’s  will  is  allowed  adequate  expression  in  the  arrangement 
of  social  affairs,  we  may  expect  great  advancement  in  matters  which 
have  often  been  grievously  neglected  under  the  old  regime  of 
male  dominance — such  matters  as  health,  temperance,  peace, 
and  regard  for  the  value  of  the  individual  life.  Improvements 
in  these  respects  will  have  very  far-reaching  and  beneficent 
effects.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  The  world  in  the  past  has  been  ruled  by  force,  and  man  has  dominated 
over  woman  by  reason  of  his  more  forceful  and  aggressive  qualities  both 
of  body  and  mind.  But  the  balance  is  already  shifting ;  force  is  losing 
its  dominance,  and  mental  alertness,  intuition,  and  the  spiritual  qualities 
of  love  and  service,  in  which  woman  is  strong,  are  gaining  ascendancy. 
Hence  the  new  age  will  be  an  age  less  masculine  and  more  permeated 
with  the  feminine  ideals,  or,  to  speak  more  exactly,  will  be  an  age  m 
which  the  masculine  and  feminine  elements  of  civilization  will  be  more 
evenly  balanced.” — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  viii.  No.  3,  p.  4. 

Methods  of  Violence  Discarded. 

In  bringing  about  the  emancipation  of  women  as  in  other  matters, 
Baha’u’llah  counsels  his  followers  to  avoid  methods  of  violence. 
An  excellent  illustration  of  the  Baha’i  method  of  social  reform 
has  been  given  by  the  Baha’i  women  in  Persia,  Egypt  and  Syria. 
In  these  countries  it  is  customary  for  Muhammadan  women 
outside  their  homes  to  wear  a  veil  covering  the  face.  The  Bab 
indicated  that  in  the  New  Dispensation  women  would  be  relieved 
from  this  irksome  restraint,  but  Baha’u’llah  counsels  his  followers, 
where  no  important  question  of  morality  is  involved,  to  defer  to 
established  customs  until  people  become  enlightened,  rather  than 
scandalize  those  amongst  whom  they  live,  and  arouse  needless 
antagonism.  The  Baha’i  women,  therefore,  although  well 
aware  that  the  antiquated  custom  of  wearing  the  veil  is,  for 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


134 

enlightened  people,  unnecessary  and  inconvenient,  yet  quietly 
put  up  with  the  inconvenience,  rather  than  rouse  a  storm  of  fanatical 
hatred  and  rancorous  opposition  by  uncovering  their  faces  in 
public.  This  conformity  to  custom  is  in  no  way  due  to  fear, 
but  to  an  assured  confidence  in  the  power  of  education  and  in  the 
transforming  and  life-giving  effects  of  true  religion.  Baha’is  in 
these  regions  are  devoting  their  energies  to  the  education  of  their 
children,  especially  their  girls,  and  to  the  diffusion  and  promotion 
of  the  Baha’i  ideals,  well  knowing  that  as  the  new  spiritual  life 
grows  and  spreads  among  the  people,  antiquated  customs  and 
prejudices  will  by  and  by  be  shed,  as  naturally  and  inevitably 
as  bud-scales  are  shed  in  spring  when  the  leaves  and  flowers  expand 
in  the  sunshine. 

Education. 

Education — the  instruction  and  guidance  of  men  and  the 
development  and  training  of  their  innate  faculties — has  been  the 
supreme  aim  of  all  the  Holy  Prophets  since  the  world  began,  and 
in  the  Baha’i  teachings  the  fundamental  importance  and  limitless 
possibilities  of  education  are  proclaimed  in  the  clearest  terms. 
The  teacher  is  the  most  potent  factor  in  civilization  and  his  work 
is  the  highest  to  which  men  can  aspire.  Education  begins  in  the 
mother’s  womb  and  is  as  unending  as  the  life  of  the  individual. 
It  is  a  perennial  necessity  of  right  living  and  the  foundation  of 
both  individual  and  social  welfare.  When  education  on  right 
lines  becomes  general,  humanity  will  be  transformed  and  the  world 
will  become  a  paradise. 

At  present  a  really  well  educated  man  is  the  rarest  of  phenomena, 
for  nearly  everyone  has  false  prejudices,  wrong  ideals,  erroneous 
conceptions  and  bad  habits  drilled  into  him  from  babyhood.  How 
few  are  taught  from  their  earliest  childhood  to  love  God  with 
all  their  hearts  and  dedicate  their  lives  to  Him  ;  to  regard  service 
to  humanity  as  the  highest  aim  of  life  ;  to  develop  their  powers 
to  the  best  advantage  for  the  general  good  of  all  !  Yet  surely 
these  are  the  essential  elements  of  a  good  education.  Mere 
cramming  of  the  memory  with  facts  about  arithmetic,  grammar, 
geography,  languages,  etc.,  has  comparatively  little  effect  in 
producing  noble  and  useful  lives. 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


135 


Baha’u’llah  says  that  education  must  be  universal  : — 

(t  It  is  decreed  that  every  father  must  educate  his  sons  and  daughters 
in  learning  and  in  writing  and  also  in  that  which  hath  been  ordained 
in  the  tablet.  He  who  neglects  that  which  hath  been  commanded 
(in  this  matter),  if  he  be  rich,  it  is  incumbent  on  the  trustees  of  the  House 
of  Justice  to  recover  from  him  the  amount  required  for  the  education  of 
his  children  ;  otherwise  (i.e.  if  the  parent  be  not  capable)  the  matter 
shall  devolve  upon  the  House  of  Justice.  Verily  We  have  made  it  (the 
House  of  Justice)  an  asylum  for  the  poor  and  needy. 

“  He  who  educates  his  son,  or  any  other  children,  it  is  as  though  he  hath 
educated  one  of  My  children.” — Tablet  of  Isfraqat . 

“  Men  and  women  must  place  a  part  of  what  they  earn  by  trade, 
agriculture  or  other  business,  in  charge  of  a  trustworthy  person,  to  be 
spent  in  the  education  and  instruction  of  the  children.  That  deposit 
must  be  invested  in  the  education  of  the  chldren,  under  the  advice  of 
the  trustees  (or  members)  of  the  House  of  Justice.” — Tablet  of  the  World . 

Innate  Differences  of  Nature. 

In  the  Baha’i  view  the  child’s  nature  is  not  like  so  much  wax 
that  can  be  moulded  indifferently  to  any  shape  according  to  the 
will  of  the  teacher.  Nay,  each  from  the  first  has  his  own  God- 
given  character  and  individuality  which  can  develop  to  the  best 
advantage  only  in  a  particular  way  ;  and  that  way  in  each  case 
is  unique.  No  two  people  have  exactly  the  same  capabilities  and 
talents,  and  the  true  educator  will  never  attempt  to  force  two 
natures  into  the  same  mould.  In  fact,  he  will  never  attempt  to 
force  any  nature  into  any  mould.  Rather  he  will  reverently 
tend  the  developing  powers  of  the  young  nature,  encourage  and 
protect  them,  and  supply  the  nourishment  and  assistance  which 
they  need.  His  work  is  like  that  of  a  gardener  tending  different 
plants.  One  plant  likes  the  bright  sunshine,  another  the  cool 
shade  ;  one  loves  the  water’s  edge  and  another  the  dry  knoll  ; 
one  thrives  best  on  sandy  soil  and  another  on  rich  loam.  Each 
must  have  its  needs  appropriately  supplied,  else  its  perfections  can 
never  be  fully  revealed.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  The  Prophets  acknowledge  that  education  hath  a  great  effect  upon 
the  human  race,  but  they  declare  that  minds  and  comprehensions  are 
originally  different.  We  see  that  certain  children  of  the  same  age,  nativity 
and  race,  nay,  from  the  same  household,  under  the  tutorship  of  the  same 
teacher,  differ  in  minds  and  comprehensions.  No  matter  how  the  shell 


136  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

is  educated  (or  polished)  it  can  never  become  the  radiant  pearl.  The  black 
stone  will  not  become  the  world-illuminating  gem.  The  thorny  cactus 
can  never  by  training  and  development  become  the  blessed  tree.  That 
is  to  say,  training  doth  not  change  the  essential  nature  of  the  human  gem, 
but  it  produceth  a  marvellous  effect.  By  this  effective  power  all  that 
is  latent,  of  virtues  and  capacities  in  the  human  reality,  will  be  revealed.” — 
Tablets  of  ‘Abdii  l-Baha,  vol.  iii.  p.  577. 

Character  Training. 

The  thing  of  paramount  importance  in  education  is  character 
training.  With  regard  to  this,  example  is  more  effective  than 
precept,  and  the  lives  and  characters  of  the  child’s  parents,  teachers 
and  habitual  associates  are  factors  of  the  utmost  importance. 

The  prophets  of  God  are  the  great  educators  of  mankind,  and 
their  counsels  and  the  story  of  their  lives  should  be  instilled  into 
the  child’s  mind  as  soon  as  it  is  able  to  grasp  them.  Especially 
important  are  the  words  of  the  Supreme  teacher,  Baha’u’llah, 
who  reveals  the  root-principles  on  which  the  civilization  of  the 
future  must  be  built  up.  He  says  : — 

“  Teach  your  children  what  hath  been  revealed  through  the  Pen  of 
Glory.  Instruct  them  in  what  hath  descended  from  the  heaven  of 
greatness  and  power.  Let  them  memorize  the  Tablets  of  the  Merciful 
and  chant  them  with  the  most  melodious  voices  in  the  halls  of  the 
Mashriqu’l-Adhkar.” — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  ix.  No.  7,  p.  81. 

Arts,  Sciences,  Crafts. 

Training  in  arts,  sciences,  crafts  and  useful  professions  is  regarded 
as  important  and  necessary.  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“  Knowledge  is  like  unto  wings  for  the  being  (of  man)  and  is  like  a 
ladder  for  ascending.  To  acquire  knowledge  is  incumbent  upon  all, 
but  of  those  sciences  which  may  profit  the  people  of  the  earth,  and  not  such 
sciences  as  begin  in  mere  words  and  end  in  mere  words.  The  possessors 
of  sciences  and  arts  have  a  great  right  among  the  people  of  the  world. 
Indeed,  the  real  treasury  of  man  is  his  knowledge.  Knowledge  is  the 
means  of  honour,  prosperity,  ioy,  gladness,  happiness  and  exultation.” — 
Tablet  of  Taj  alii)  at. 

Treatment  of  Criminals. 

In  a  talk  on  the  right  method  of  treating  criminals,  ‘Abdu’I- 
Baha  spoke  as  follows  : — 


TRUE  CIVILIZATION 


*37 

“  The  most  essential  thing  is  that  the  people  must  be  educated  in  such 
a  way  that  they  will  avoid  and  shrink  from  perpetrating  crimes,  so  that 
the  crime  itself  will  appear  to  them  as  the  greatest  chastisement,  the 
utmost  condemnation  and  torment.  Therefore  no  crimes  which  require 
punishment  will  be  committed. 

“  If  someone  oppresses,  injures  and  wrongs  another,  and  the  wronged 
man  retaliates,  this  is  vengeance,  and  is  censurable.  If  ‘Amr  dishonours 
Zayd,  the  latter  has  not  the  right  to  dishonour  ‘Amr  ;  if  he  does,  this 
is  vengeance,  and  it  is  very  reprehensible.  No,  rather  he  must  return 
good  for  evil,  and  not  only  forgive,  but  also,  if  possible,  be  of  service  to 
his  oppressor.  This  conduct  is  worthy  of  man,  for  what  advantage  does 
he  gain  by  vengeance  ?  The  two  actions  are  equivalent ;  if  one  action 
is  reprehensible  both  are  reprehensible.  The  only  difference  is,  that 
one  was  committed  first,  the  other  later. 

“  But  the  community  has  the  right  of  defence  and  self-protection  ; 
moreover,  the  community  has  no  hatred  or  animosity  for  the  murderer  ; 
it  imprisons  or  punishes  him  merely  for  the  protection  and  security  of 
others. 

“  Thus  when  Christ  said  :  ‘  Whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  the  one 
cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also,’  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  men 
not  to  take  personal  revenge.  He  did  not  mean  that  if  a  wolf  should  fall 
upon  a  flock  of  sheep  and  wish  to  destroy  it,  the  wolf  should  be  encouraged 
to  do  so.  No,  if  Christ  had  known  that  a  wolf  had  entered  the  fold 
and  was  about  to  destroy  the  sheep,  most  certainly  he  would  have  pre¬ 
vented  it.  .  .  . 

“  The  constitution  of  the  communities  depends  upon  justice.  .  .  . 
Then  what  Christ  meant  by  forgiveness  and  pardon  is  not  that  when 
nations  attack  you,  bum  your  homes,  plunder  your  goods,  assault  your 
wives,  children  and  relatives  and  violate  your  honour,  you  should  be  sub¬ 
missive  in  the  presence  of  these  tyrannical  foes,  and  allow  them  to  perform 
all  their  cruelties  and  oppressions.  No,  the  words  of  Christ  refer  to  the 
conduct  of  two  individuals  towards  each  other.  If  one  person  assaults 
another,  the  injured  one  should  forgive  him.  But  the  communities 
must  protect  the  rights  of  man.  One  thing  remains  to  be  said  :  it  is 
that  the  communities  are  day  and  night  occupied  in  making  penal  laws, 
and  in  preparing  and  organizing  instruments  and  means  of  punishment. 
They  build  prisons,  make  chains  and  fetters,  arrange  places  of  exile  and 
banishment,  and  different  kinds  of  hardships  and  tortures,  and  think 
by  these  means  to  discipline  criminals ;  whereas,  in  reality,  they  are 
causing  destruction  of  morals  and  perversion  of  characters.  The  com¬ 
munity,  on  the  contrary,  ought  to  strive  and  endeavour  with  the  utmost 
zeal  and  effort  to  accomplish  the  education  of  men,  to  cause  them  day  by 
day  to  progress  and  to  increase  in  science  and  knowledge,  to  acquire 
virtues,  to  gain  good  morals  and  to  avoid  vices,  so  that  crimes  may  not 
occur.” — Some  Answered  Questions ,  pp.  307-312. 


138  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

Influence  of  the  Press. 

The  importance  of  the  Press  as  a  means  of  diffusing  knowledge 
and  educating  the  people,  and  its  power  as  a  civilizing  force,  when 
rightly  directed,  are  fully  recognized  by  Baha’u’llah.  He 
writes  : — 

“  In  this  day  the  mysteries  of  this  earth  are  unfolded  and  visible  before 
the  eyes,  and  the  pages  of  swiftly  appearing  newspapers  are  indeed  the 
mirror  of  the  world  ;  they  display  the  doings  and  actions  of  the  different 
nations ;  they  both  illustrate  them  and  cause  them  to  be  heard.  News¬ 
papers  are  as  a  mirror  endowed  with  hearing,  sight  and  speech  ;  they  are 
a  wonderful  phenomenon  and  a  great  matter. 

“  But  it  behoves  the  writers  and  editors  thereof  to  be  sanctified  from 
the  prejudice  of  egotism  and  desire,  and  to  be  adorned  with  the  ornament 
of  equity  and  justice.  They  must  enquire  into  matters  as  fully  as  possible 
in  order  that  they  may  be  informed  of  the  real  facts,  and  commit  the 
same  to  writing.  Concerning  this  wronged  one,  what  the  newspapers 
have  published  has  for  the  most  part  been  devoid  of  truth.  Good  speech 
and  truthfulness  are,  in  loftiness  of  position  and  rank,  like  the  sun  which 
has  risen  from  the  horizon  of  the  heaven  of  knowledge.” — Tablet  of 
'f' araxat . 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


u  To-day,  this  servant  has  assuredly  come  to  vivify  the  world  and  to  bring 
into  unity  all  who  are  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  That  which  God  willeth  shall 
come  to  pass  and  thou  shalt  see  the  earth  even  as  the  Abha  (Most  Glorious) 
Paradise.” — Baha’u’llah,  in  Tablet  to  Ra’ls. 

Conflict  versus  Concord, 

During  the  past  century  scientists  have  devoted  an  immense 
amount  of  study  to  the  struggle  for  existence  in  the  plant  and 
animal  world,  and,  amid  the  perplexities  of  social  life,  many  have 
turned  for  guidance  to  the  principles  which  have  been  found  to 
hold  good  in  the  lower  world  of  nature.  In  this  way  they  have 
come  to  regard  rivalry  and  conflict  as  necessities  of  life,  and  the 
ruthless  killing  out  of  the  weaker  members  of  society  as  a  legitimate 
or  even  necessary  means  of  improving  the  race.  Baha’u’llah 
tells  us,  on  the  other  hand,  that,  if  we  wish  to  ascend  the  scale 
of  progress,  instead  of  looking  backwards  to  the  animal  world, 
we  must  direct  our  gaze  forwards  and  upwards,  and  must  take  not 
the  beasts,  but  the  prophets  as  our  guides.  The  principles  of  unity, 
concord  and  compassion  taught  by  the  prophets  are  the  very 
antithesis  of  those  dominating  the  animal  struggle  for  self-preserva¬ 
tion,  and  we  must  choose  between  them,  for  they  cannot  be 
reconciled.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  In  the  world  of  nature  the  dominant  note  is  the  struggle  for  existence — 
the  result  of  which  is  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  The  law  of  the  survival 
of  the  fittest  is  the  origin  of  all  difficulties.  It  is  the  cause  of  war  and 
strife,  hatred  and  animosity,  between  human  beings.  In  the  world  of 
nature  there  is  tyranny,  egoism,  aggression,  overbearance,  usurpation 
of  the  rights  of  others  and  other  blameworthy  attributes  wrhich  are  defects 

of  the  animal  world.  Therefore,  so  long  as  the  requirements  of  the 

139 


140 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


natural  world  play  paramount  part  among  the  children  of  men,  success 
and  prosperity  are  impossible.  Nature  is  warlike,  nature  is  bloodthirsty, 
nature  is  tyrannical,  for  nature  is  unaware  of  God  the  Almighty.  That 
is  why  these  cruel  qualities  are  natural  to  the  animal  world. 

“  Therefore  the  Lord  of  mankind,  having  great  love  and  mercy,  has 
caused  the  appearance  of  the  prophets  and  the  revelation  of  the  Holy 
Books,  so  that  through  divine  education  humanity  may  be  released  from 
the  corruption  of  nature  and  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  be  confirmed 
with  ideal  virtues  and  spiritual  attributes,  and  become  the  dawning-place 
of  merciful  emotions.  .  .  . 

“  A  hundred  thousand  times,  alas  !  that  ignorant  prejudice,  unnatural 
differences  and  antagonistic  principles  are  yet  displayed  by  the  nations  of 
the  world  toward  one  another,  thus  causing  the  retardation  of  general 
progress.  This  retrogression  comes  from  the  fact  that  the  principles 
of  divine  civilization  are  completely  abandoned,  and  the  teachings  of  the 
prophets  are  forgotten.” — Star  of  the  West,  vol.  viii.  p.  15. 

The  Most  Great  Peace. 

In  all  ages  the  prophets  of  God  have  foretold  the  coming  of 
an  era  of  “  peace  on  earth,  goodwill  among  men.”  As  we  have 
already  seen  Baha’u’llah,  in  the  most  glowing  and  confident  terms, 
confirms  these  prophecies  and  declares  that  their  fulfilment  is 
at  hand.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  In  this  marvellous  cycle,  the  earth  will  be  transformed  and  humanity 
arrayed  in  peace  and  beauty.  Disputes,  quarrels  and  murders  will  be 
replaced  by  harmony,  truth  and  concord  ;  among  the  nations,  peoples, 
races  and  countries,  love  and  amity  will  appear.  Co-operation  and  union 
will  be  established,  and  finally  war  will  be  entirely  suppressed.  .  .  .  Uni¬ 
versal  peace  will  raise  its  tent  in  the  centre  of  the  earth  and  the  blessed 
tree  of  life  will  spread  to  such  an  extent  that  it  will  overshadow  the  East 
and  the  West.  Strong  and  weak,  rich  and  poor,  antagonistic  sects  and 
hostile  nations,  which  are  like  the  wolf  and  the  lamb,  the  leopard  and  the 
kid,  the  lion  and  the  calf,  will  act  toward  each  other  with  the  most  com¬ 
plete  love,  friendship,  justice  and  fairness.  The  world  will  be  filled 
with  science,  with  the  knowledge  of  the  reality  of  the  mysteries  of  beings, 
and  with  the  knowledge  of  God.” — Some  Answered  Questions,  p.  73. 

Religious  Prejudices. 

In  order  to  see  clearly  how  the  Most  Great  Peace  may  be 
established,  let  us  first  examine  the  principal  causes  that  have 
led  to  war  in  the  past  and  see  how  Baha’u’llah  proposes  to  deal 
with  each. 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


141 

One  of  the  most  fertile  causes  of  war  has  been  religious  prejudice. 
With  regard  to  this  the  Baha’i  teachings  show  clearly  that 
animosity  and  conflict  between  people  of  different  religions  and 
sects  have  always  been  due,  not  to  true  religion,  but  to  the  want 
of  it,  and  to  its  replacement  by  false  prejudices,  imitations  and 
misrepresentations. 

In  one  of  his  talks  in  Paris,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  Religion  should  unite  all  hearts  and  cause  wars  and  disputes  to  vanish 
from  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  it  should  give  birth  to  spirituality,  and  bring 
light  and  life  to  every  soul.  If  religion  becomes  a  cause  of  dislike, 
hatred  and  division  it  would  be  better  to  be  without  it,  and  to  withdraw 
from  such  a  religion  would  be  a  truly  religious  act.  For  it  is  clear  that  the 
purpose  of  a  remedy  is  to  cure,  but  if  the  remedy  only  aggravates  the 
complaint,  it  had  better  be  left  alone.  Any  religion  which  is  not  a  cause 
of  love  and  unity  is  no  religion.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  180. 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  From  the  beginning  of  human  history  down  to  the  present  time 
various  religions  of  the  world  have  anathematized  one  another  and  accused 
one  another  of  falsity.  They  have  shunned  one  another  most  rigidly, 
exercising  mutual  animosity  and  rancour.  Consider  the  history  of  religious 
warfare.  One  of  the  greatest  religious  wars,  the  Crusades,  extended 
over  a  period  of  200  years.  Sometimes  the  Crusaders  were  successful, 
killing,  pillaging  and  taking  captive  the  Muhammadan  people  ;  sometimes 
the  Mussulmans  were  victorious,  inflicting  bloodshed  and  ruin  in  turn 
upon  the  invaders. 

“  So  they  continued  for  two  centuries,  alternately  fighting  with  fury 
and  relaxing  with  weakness  until  the  European  religionists  withdrew 
from  the  East,  leaving  ashes  of  desolation  behind  them  and  finding  their 
own  nations  in  a  condition  of  turbulence  and  upheaval.  Yet  this  was 
only  one  of  the  4  Holy  wars.’ 

“  Religious  wars  have  been  many.  Nine  hundred  thousand  martyrs 
of  the  Protestant  cause  was  the  record  of  conflict  and  difference  between 
that  sect  of  Christian  and  the  Catholics.  Flow  many  languished  in  prisons ! 
How  merciless  the  treatment  of  captives  !  All  in  the  name  of  religion  ! 

“  The  Christians  and  Muhammadans  considered  the  Jews  as  satanic 
and  the  enemies  of  God.  Therefore  they  cursed  and  persecuted  them. 
Great  numbers  of  Jews  were  killed,  their  houses  burnt  and  pillaged, 
their  children  carried  into  captivity.  The  Jews  in  turn  regarded  the 
Christians  as  infidels,  and  the  Muhammadans  as  enemies  and  destroyers 
of  the  laws  of  Moses ;  therefore  they  called  down  vengeance  upon  them 
nd  curse  them  even  to  this  day. 

“  When  the  light  of  Baha’u’llah  dawned  from  the  East,  he  proclaimed 


142 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


the  promise  of  the  oneness  of  humanity.  He  addressed  all  mankind 
saying  :  ‘  Ye  are  all  fruits  of  one  tree.  There  are  not  two  trees,  one  a 
tree  of  divine  mercy,  the  other  the  tree  of  Satan.’  Therefore  we  must 
exercise  the  utmost  love  toward  one  another.  We  must  not  consider 
any  people  the  people  of  Satan,  but  know  and  recognize  all  as  servants 
of  one  God.  At  most  it  is  this :  some  do  not  know,  they  must  be  guided 
and  trained.  Some  are  ignorant,  they  must  be  informed.  Some  are 
as  children,  they  must  be  helped  to  reach  maturity.  Some  are  ailing, 
their  moral  condition  is  bad,  they  must  be  treated  until  their  morals  are 
purified.  But  the  sick  man  is  not  to  be  hated  because  he  is  sick  ;  the 
child  must  not  be  shunned  because  he  is  a  child,  the  ignorant  one  is  not 
to  be  despised  because  he  lacks  knowledge.  They  must  be  treated, 
educated,  trained  and  assisted  in  love.  Everything  must  be  done  in 
order  that  all  humanity  may  live  under  the  shadow  of  God  in  the 
utmost  security,  in  happiness  of  the  highest  type.” — Star  of  the  West , 
vol.  viii.  p.  76. 


Racial  and  Patriotic  Prejudices. 

The  Baha’i  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  mankind  strikes  at  the  root 
of  another  cause  of  war,  namely,  racial  prejudice.  Certain  races 
have  assumed  themselves  to  be  superior  to  others  and  have  taken 
for  granted,  on  the  principle  of  “  survival  of  the  fittest,”  that  this 
superiority  gives  them  the  right  to  exploit  for  their  own  advantage, 
or  even  to  exterminate,  weaker  races.  Many  of  the  blackest 
pages  in  the  world’s  history  are  examples  of  the  pitiless  application 
of  this  principle.  According  to  the  Baha’i  view  people  of  every 
race  are  of  equal  value  in  the  sight  of  God.  All  have  wonderful 
innate  capacities  which  only  require  suitable  education  for  their 
development,  and  each  can  play  a  part,  which,  instead  of 
impoverishing,  will  enrich  and  complete  the  life  of  all  the  other 
members  of  the  body  of  humanity.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Concerning  the  prejudice  of  race  :  it  is  an  illusion,  a  superstition 
pure  and  simple,  for  God  created  us  all  of  one  race.  ...  In  the  beginning 
also  there  were  no  limits  and  boundaries  between  the  different  lands ;  no 
part  of  the  earth  belonged  more  to  one  people  than  to  another.  In  the 
sight  of  God  there  is  no  difference  between  the  various  races.  Why 
should  man  invent  such  a  prejudice  ?  How  can  we  uphold  war  caused 
by  such  an  illusion  ?  God  has  not  created  men  that  they  should  destroy 
one  another.  All  races,  tribes,  sects  and  classes  share  equally  in  the 
bounty  of  their  Heavenly  Father. 

“  The  only  real  difference  lies  in  the  degree  of  faithfulness,  of  obedience 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


143 

to  the  laws  of  God.  There  are  some  who  are  as  lighted  torches ;  there  are 
others  who  shine  as  stars  in  the  sky  of  humanity. 

“  The  lovers  of  mankind,  these  are  the  superior  men,  of  whatever 
nation,  creed  or  colour  they  may  be.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  136. 

Equally  mischievous  with  racial  prejudice  is  political  or  patriotic 
prejudice.  The  time  has  now  come  when  narrow  national 
patriotisms  should  be  merged  in  the  wider  patriotism  whose 
country  is  the  world.  Baha’u’llah  says  : — 

“LT  former  ages  it  hath  been  said:  ‘To  love  one’s  native  land  is 
faith,’  but  the  Tongue  of  Grandeur  hath  said  in  the  day  of  this  Manifesta¬ 
tion  :  ‘  Glory  is  not  his  who  loves  his  native  land,  but  Glory  is  his  who 
loves  his  kind.’  By  these  exalted  words  He  taught  the  birds  of  souls 
a  new  flight  and  effaced  restriction  and  blind  imitation  from  the  Book.” — 
Tablet  of  the  World. 

Territorial  Ambitions. 

Many  are  the  wars  which  have  been  fought  over  pieces  of 
territory  whose  possession  has  been  coveted  by  two  or  more  rival 
nations.  The  greed  of  possession  has  been  as  fertile  a  cause  of 
strife  among  nations  as  among  individuals.  According  to  the 
Baha’i  view,  land  rightly  belongs  not  to  individual  men  or  individual 
nations  but  to  humanity  as  a  whole  ;  nay,  rather,  it  belongs  to 
God  alone,  and  all  men  are  but  tenants. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  Battle  of  Benghazi,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
said  : — 


“  The  news  of  the  Battle  of  Benghazi  grieves  my  heart.  I  wonder 
at  the  human  savagery  that  still  exists  in  the  world  :  How  is  it  possible 
for  men  to  fight  from  morning  till  night,  killing  each  other,  shedding 
the  blood  of  their  fellow-men  ?  And  for  what  object  ?  To  gain  pos¬ 
session  of  a  part  of  the  earth  !  Even  the  animals  when  they  fight  have  an 
immediate  and  more  reasonable  cause  for  their  attacks.  How  terrible 
is  it  that  men  who  are  of  the  higher  kingdom  can  descend  to  slaying  and 
bringing  misery  to  their  fellow-beings  for  the  possession  of  a  tract  of 
land — the  highest  of  created  beings  fighting  to  obtain  the  lowest  form  of 
matter,  earth. 

“  Land  belongs  not  to  one  people  but  to  all  people.  The  earth  is 
not  man’s  home  but  his  tomb. 

“  However  great  the  conqueror,  however  many  countries  he  may 
reduce  to  slavery,  he  is  unable  to  retain  any  part  of  these  devastated  lands 
but  one  tiny  portion — his  tomb. 


144 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  If  more  land  is  required  for  the  improvement  of  the  condition  of 
the  people,  for  the  spread  of  civilization  .  .  .  surely  it  would  be  possible 
to  acquire  peaceably  the  necessary  extension  of  territory.  But  war  is 
made  for  the  satisfaction  of  men’s  ambition.  For  the  sake  of  worldly 
gain  to  the  few  terrible  misery  is  brought  to  numberless  homes,  breaking 
the  hearts  of  hundreds  of  men  and  women.  .  .  . 

“  I  charge  you  all  that  each  one  of  you  concentrate  all  the  thoughts 
of  his  heart  on  love  and  unity.  When  a  thought  of  war  comes,  oppose 
it  by  a  stronger  thought  of  peace.  A  thought  of  hatred  must  be  destroyed 
by  a  more  powerful  thought  of  love.  When  soldiers  of  the  world  draw 
their  swords  to  kill,  soldiers  of  God  clasp  each  other’s  hands.  So  may 
all  the  savagery  of  men  disappear  by  the  mercy  of  God,  working  through 
the  pure  in  heart  and  the  sincere  of  soul.  Do  not  think  the  peace  of  the 
world  an  ideal  impossible  to  attain.  Nothing  is  impossible  to  the  divine 
benevolence  of  God.  If  you  desire  with  all  your  heart  friendship  with 
every  race  on  earth,  your  thought,  spiritual  and  positive,  will  spread  ;  it 
will  become  the  desire  of  others,  growing  stronger  until  it  reaches  the 
minds  of  all  men.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  23. 

Universal  Language. 

Having  glanced  at  the  principal  causes  of  war  and  how  they  may 
be  avoided,  we  may  now  proceed  to  examine  certain  constructive 
proposals  made  by  Baha’u’llah  with  a  view  to  achieving  the  Most 
Great  Peace. 

The  first  deals  with  the  establishment  of  a  universal  auxiliary 
language.  Baha’u’llah  refers  to  this  matter  in  the  Book  of  A qdas 
and  in  many  of  his  Tablets.  Thus  in  the  Tablet  of  l$hraqat  he 
says  : — 

“  The  Sixth  Ishraq  (Effulgence)  is  Concord  and  Union  amongst  men. 
Through  the  radiance  of  Union  have  the  regions  of  the  world  at  all  times 
been  illumined,  and  the  greatest  of  all  means  thereunto  is  the  understanding 
of  one  another’s  writing  and  speech.  Ere  this,  in  Our  Epistles,  have  We 
commanded  the  Trustees  of  the  House  of  Justice,  either  to  choose  one  of 
the  existing  tongues,  or  to  originate  a  new  one,  and  in  like  manner  to  adopt 
a  common  script,  teaching  these  to  the  children  in  all  the  schools  of  the 
world,  that  the  world  may  become  even  as  one  land  and  one  home.” 

About  the  time  when  this  proposal  of  Baha’u’llah  was  first 
given  to  the  world,  there  was  born  in  Poland  a  boy  named  Ludovic 
Zamenhof,  who  was  destined  to  play  a  leading  part  in  carrying  it 
into  effect.  Almost  from  his  infancy,  the  ideal  of  a  universal 
language  became  a  dominant  motive  in  ZamenhoPs  life,  and  the 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


H5 

result  of  his  devoted  labours  was  the  invention  and  widespread 
adoption  of  the  language  known  as  Esperanto,  which  has  now 
stood  the  test  of  over  thirty-five  years  and  has  proved  to  be  a  very 
satisfactory  medium  of  international  intercourse.  It  has  the  great 
advantage  that  it  can  be  mastered  in  about  a  twentieth  part  of  the 
time  required  to  master  such  languages  as  English,  French  or 
German.  At  an  Esperanto  banquet  given  in  Paris  in 
February  1913,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  To-day  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  the  differences  in  Europe  is  the 
diversity  of  languages.  We  say  this  man  is  a  German,  the  other  is  an 
Italian,  then  we  meet  an  Englishman  and  then  again  a  Frenchman. 
Although  they  belong  to  the  same  race,  yet  language  is  the  greatest  barrier 
between  them.  Were  a  universal  auxiliary  language  in  operation  they 
would  all  be  considered  as  one. 

“  His  Holiness  Baha’u’llah  wrote  about  this  international  language 
more  than  forty  years  ago.  He  says  that  as  long  as  an  international 
language  is  not  adopted,  complete  union  between  the  various  sections 
of  the  world  will  be  unrealized,  for  we  observe  that  misunderstandings 
keep  people  from  mutual  association,  and  these  misunderstandings  will 
not  be  dispelled  except  through  an  international  auxiliary  language. 

“  Generally  speaking,  the  whole  people  of  the  Orient  are  not  fully 
informed  of  events  in  the  West,  neither  can  the  Westerners  put  themselves 
in  sympathetic  touch  with  the  Easterners ;  their  thoughts  are  enclosed 
in  a  casket — the  international  language  will  be  the  master  key  to  open 
it.  Were  we  in  possession  of  a  universal  language,  the  Western  books 
could  easily  be  translated  into  that  language,  and  the  Eastern  peoples 
be  informed  of  their  contents.  In  the  same  way  the  books  of  the  East 
could  be  translated  into  that  language  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  in 
the  West.  The  greatest  means  of  progress  towards  the  union  of  East 
and  West  will  be  a  common  language.  It  will  make  the  whole  world 
one  home  and  become  the  strongest  impulse  for  human  advancement. 
It  will  upraise  the  standard  of  the  oneness  of  humanity.  It  will  make 
the  earth  one  universal  commonwealth.  It  will  be  the  cause  of  love 
between  the  children  of  men.  It  will  cause  good  fellowship  between 
the  various  races. 

“  Now,  praise  be  to  God  that  Dr.  Zamenhof  has  invented  the  Esperanto 
language.  It  has  all  the  potential  qualities  of  becoming  the  international 
means  of  communication.  All  of  us  must  be  grateful  and  thankful  to 
him  for  this  noble  effort ;  for  in  this  way  he  has  served  his  fellow-men 
well.  With  untiring  effort  and  self-sacrifice  on  the  part  of  its  devotees 
Esperanto  will  become  universal.  Therefore  every  one  of  us  must 
study  this  language  and  spread  it  as  far  as  possible  so  that  day  by  day 
it  may  receive  a  broader  recognition,  be  accepted  by  all  nations  and 

IO 


146  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

governments  of  the  world,  and  become  a  part  of  the  curriculum  in  all 
the  public  schools.  I  hope  that  Esperanto  will  be  adopted  as  the  language 
of  all  the  future  international  conferences  and  congresses,  so  that  all  people 
need  acquire  only  two  languages — one  their  own  tongue  and  the  other  the 
international  language.  Then  perfect  union  will  be  established  between 
all  the  people  of  the  world.  Consider  how  difficult  it  is  to-day  to  com¬ 
municate  with  various  nations.  If  one  studies  fifty  languages  one  may 
yet  travel  through  a  country  and  not  know  the  language.  Therefore 
I  hope  that  you  will  make  the  utmost  effort,  so  that  this  language  of 
Esperanto  may  be  widely  spread.” 

While  thus  encouraging  the  spread  of  Esperanto,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
realized  that  it  would  have  to  be  developed,  improved  and 
expanded  before  it  could  meet  all  the  requirements  of  a  universal 
language.  In  one  of  his  London  talks  he  said  : — 

“  The  love  and  effort  put  into  Esperanto  will  not  be  lost,  but  no  one 
person  can  construct  a  universal  language.  It  must  be  made  by  a 
Council  representing  all  countries,  and  must  contain  words  from  different 
languages.” — Abdul  Baba  in  London ,  p.  95. 

The  development  of  the  Esperanto  language  is  now  proceeding 
under  the  guidance  of  an  international  “  Lingva  Komitato,” 
and  year  by  year  it  is  being  enriched  and  its  vocabulary  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  roots  from  various  languages. 

League  of  Nations. 

Another  proposal  frequently  and  powerfully  advocated  by 
Baha’u’llah  was  that  a  Universal  League  of  Nations  should  be 
formed  for  the  maintenance  of  international  peace.  In  a  letter 
to  Queen  Victoria,  written  in  1865,  he  said  : — 

“  O  concourse  of  rulers !  Compose  your  differences,  then  will  ye 
no  more  need  a  multitude  of  warriors,  nor  the  equipments  thereof,  but 
merely  such  as  to  protect  therewith  your  realms  and  your  peoples.  .  .  . 
Be  united,  O  concourse  of  Sovereigns,  for  thereby  the  winds  of  dissension 
amongst  you  will  be  stilled  and  the  peoples  around  you  find  rest.  .  .  . 
Should  one  of  you  arise  against  another,  arise  ye,  one  and  all,  against  him, 
for  this  is  naught  but  manifest  justice.” 

In  1875,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  gave  a  forecast  of  the  establishment 
of  a  Universal  League  of  Nations,  which  is  especially  interesting  at 
the  present  time  in  view  of  the  strenuous  attempts  now  being 
made  to  establish  such  a  league.  He  wrote  : — 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


*47 

“  Yea,  the  true  civilization  will  raise  its  banner  in  the  centre  of  the 
world  when  some  noble  rulers  of  high  ambitions,  the  bright  suns  of  the 
world  of  humanitarian  enthusiasm,  shall,  for  the  good  and  happiness  of 
all  the  human  race,  step  forth  with  firm  resolution  and  keen  strength  of 
mind  and  hold  a  conference  on  the  question  of  universal  peace ;  when, 
keeping  fast  hold  of  the  means  of  enforcing  their  views,  they  shall  establish 
a  union  of  the  states  of  the  world,  and  conclude  a  definite  treaty  and  strict 
alliance  between  them  upon  conditions  not  to  be  evaded.  When  the 
whole  human  race  had  been  consulted  through  their  representatives 
and  invited  to  corroborate  this  treaty,  which  verily  would  be  a  treaty 
of  universal  peace  and  would  be  accounted  sacred  by  all  the  peoples 
of  the  earth,  it  would  be  the  duty  of  the  united  powers  of  the  world 
to  see  that  this  great  treaty  should  be  strengthened  and  should  endure. 

“  In  such  a  universal  treaty  the  limits  of  the  borders  and  boundaries 
of  every  state  should  be  fixed,  and  the  customs  and  laws  of  every  govern¬ 
ment  ;  all  the  agreements  and  affairs  of  state  and  arrangements  between 
the  various  governments  should  be  propounded  and  settled  in  due  form  ; 
the  size  of  the  armaments  for  each  government  should  likewise  be  definitely 
agreed  upon,  because  if  in  the  case  of  any  state  there  were  to  be  an  increase 
in  the  preparation  for  war,  it  would  be  a  cause  for  alarm  to  the  other 
states.  The  bases  of  this  powerful  alliance  should  be  so  fixed  that,  if 
one  of  the  states  afterwards  broke  any  of  the  articles  of  it,  the  rest  of  the 
nations  of  the  world  would  rise  up  and  reduce  it  to  submission.  Yea, 
the  whole  human  race  would  band  its  forces  together  to  overthrow  that 
government. 

“  If  so  great  a  remedy  should  be  applied  to  the  sick  body  of  the  world, 
it  would  certainly  be  the  means  of  continually  and  permanently  healing 
its  illness  by  the  inculcation  of  universal  moderation  ”  (see  Mysterious 
Forces  of  Civi/izationf  pp.  13 4- 140). 

International  Arbitration. 

Baha’u’llah  also  advocated  the  establishment  of  an  international 
court  of  arbitration,  so  that  differences  arising  between  nations 
might  be  settled  in  accordance  with  justice  and  reason,  instead  of 
by  appeal  to  the  ordeal  of  battle. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Mohonk  Conference  on 
International  Arbitration,  in  August  19 11,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  About  fifty  years  ago  in  the  Book  of  Aqdas,  Baha’u’llah  commanded 
people  to  establish  universal  peace  and  summoned  all  the  nations  to  the 
divine  banquet  of  international  arbitration,  so  that  the  questions  of  boun¬ 
daries,  of  national  honour  and  property,  and  of  vital  interests  between 
nations  might  be  settled  by  an  arbitral  court  of  justice,  and  that  no  nation 
would  dare  to  refuse  to  abide  by  the  decisions  thus  arrived  at.  If  any 


148  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

quarrel  arise  between  two  nations  it  must  be  adjudicated  by  this  inter¬ 
national  court  and  be  arbitrated  and  decided  upon  like  the  judgment 
rendered  by  the  Judge  between  two  individuals.  If  at  any  time  any 
nation  dares  to  break  such  a  decision,  all  the  other  nations  must  arise 
to  put  down  this  rebellion.” 

Again,  in  one  of  his  Paris  talks  in  1911,  he  said  : — 

“  A  supreme  tribunal  shall  be  established  by  the  peoples  and  govern¬ 
ments  of  every  nation,  composed  of  members  elected  from  each  country 
and  government.  The  members  of  this  great  council  shall  assemble 
in  unity.  All  disputes  of  an  international  character  shall  be  submitted 
to  this  court,  its  work  being  to  arrange  by  arbitration  everything  which 
otherwise  would  be  a  cause  of  war.  The  mission  of  this  tribunal  would 
be  to  prevent  war.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  145. 

During  the  quarter  of  a  century  preceding  the  establishment  of 
the  League  of  Nations  a  permanent  Court  of  Arbitration  was 
established  at  the  Hague  (1900),  and  many  arbitration  treaties 
were  signed,  but  most  of  these  fell  far  short  of  the  comprehensive 
proposals  of  Baha’u’llah.  No  arbitration  treaty  was  made  between 
two  great  Powers  in  which  all  matters  of  dispute  were 
included.  Differences  affecting  “  vital  interests,”  “  honour  ” 
and  “  independence  ”  were  specifically  excepted.  Not  only  so, 
but  effective  guarantees  that  nations  would  abide  by  the  terms  of 
the  treaties  into  which  they  had  entered  were  lacking.  In  the 
Baha’i  proposals,  on  the  other  hand,  questions  of  boundaries, 
of  national  honour  and  of  vital  interest  are  expressly  included, 
and  agreements  will  have  the  supreme  guarantee  of  the  World- 
League  of  Nations  behind  them.  Only  when  these  proposals 
are  completely  carried  out  will  international  arbitration  attain 
the  full  scope  of  its  beneficent  possibilities  and  the  curse  of  war 
be  finally  banished  from  the  world. 

Limitation  of  Armaments. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

"  By  a  general  agreement  all  the  governments  of  the  world  must  disarm 
simultaneously.  It  will  not  do  if  one  lays  down  its  arms  and  the  others 
refuse  to  do  so.  The  nations  of  the  world  must  concur  with  each  other 
concerning  this  supremely  important  subject,  so  that  they  may  abandon 
together  the  deadly  weapons  of  human  slaughter.  As  long  as  one  nation 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


149 

increases  her  military  and  naval  budget  other  nations  will  be  forced  into 
this  crazed  competition  through  their  natural  and  supposed  interests.” — 
Diary  of  Mirxa  Ahmad  Sohrab ,  May  n-14,  1914. 

Non-resistance. 

As  a  religious  body,  Baha’is  have,  at  the  express  command  of 
Baha’u’llah,  entirely  abandoned  the  use  of  armed  force  in  their 
own  interests,  even  for  strictly  defensive  purposes.  In  Persia 
many,  many  thousands  of  the  Babls  and  Baha’is  have  suffered  cruel 
deaths  because  of  their  faith.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Movement 
the  Babls  on  various  occasions  defended  themselves  and  their 
families  by  the  sword,  with  great  courage  and  bravery. 
Baha’u’llah,  however,  forbade  this.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes  : — 

“  When  Baha’u’llah  appeared,  he  declared  that  the  promulgation 
of  the  truth  by  such  means  must  on  no  account  be  allowed,  even  for 
purposes  of  self-defence.  He  abrogated  the  rule  of  the  sword  and  annulled 
the  ordinance  of  4  Holy  War.’  4  If  ye  be  slain,’  said  he,  4  it  is  better 
for  you  than  to  slay.  It  is  through  the  firmness  and  assurance  of  the 
faithful  that  the  Cause  of  the  Lord  must  be  diffused.  As  the  faithful, 
fearless  and  undaunted,  arise  with  absolute  detachment  to  exalt  the  Word 
of  God,  and,  with  eyes  averted  from  the  things  of  this  world,  engage 
in  service  for  the  Lord’s  sake  and  by  His  power,  thereby  will  they  cause 
the  Word  of  Truth  to  triumph.  These  blessed  souls  bear  witness  by 
their  life-blood  to  the  truth  of  the  Cause  and  attest  it  by  the  sincerity  of 
their  faith,  their  devotion  and  their  constancy.  The  Lord  can  avail  to 
diffuse  His  Cause  and  to  defeat  the  froward.  We  desire  no  defender 
but  Him,  and  with  our  lives  in  our  hands  face  the  foe  and  welcome  martyr¬ 
dom  ’  ”  (written  by  4Abdu’l-Baha  for  this  book). 

Baha’u’llah  wrote  to  one  of  the  persecutors  of  his  cause  : — 

44  Great  God  !  This  sect  has  no  need  of  arms.  All  its  efforts  tend 
toward  the  peace  of  the  world.  Its  armies  are  good  actions ;  its  arms, 
good  deeds ;  its  generals,  the  fear  of  God.  Happy  is  he  who  is 
equitable. 

44  By  God  !  These  men,  by  their  patience,  their  tranquillity,  their 
resignation  and  their  contentment,  have  become  the  manifestations  of 
justice.  Their  submission  has  reached  the  point  where  they  let  them¬ 
selves  be  killed  rather  than  kill ;  and  this  while  these  oppressed  ones  of  the 
earth  have  submitted  to  that  which  hath  not  been  recorded  by  the  histories 
of  the  world,  and  which  the  eye  of  the  nations  hath  never  seen. 

44  How  could  they  have  endured  such  terrible  misfortunes  without 
stretching  forth  a  hand  to  preserve  themselves  ?  What  was  the  cause 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


150 

of  their  resignation  and  their  tranquillity  ?  It  was  the  constant  inter¬ 
dictions  of  the  Pen  of  Glory,  for  these  have  seized  the  reins  of  the  com¬ 
mandments  with  the  force  and  power  of  the  Master  of  the  world.” — 
U  E pitre  au  Fils  de  Loup. 

The  soundness  of  Baha’u’llah’s  non-resistance  policy  has  already 
been  proved  by  results.  For  every  believer  martyred  in  Persia, 
the  Baha’i  faith  has  received  a  hundred  new  believers  into  its 
fold,  and  the  glad  and  dauntless  way  in  which  these  martyrs  cast 
the  crowns  of  their  lives  at  the  feet  of  their  Lord  has  furnished  to 
the  world  the  clearest  proof  that  they  had  found  a  new  life  for  which 
death  has  no  terrors,  a  life  of  ineffable  fulness  and  joy,  compared 
with  which  the  pleasures  of  earth  are  but  as  dust  in  the  balance, 
and  the  most  fiendish  physical  tortures  but  trifles  light  as  air. 

Righteous  Warfare. 

Although  Baha’u’llah,  like  Christ,  counsels  his  followers 
as  individuals  and  as  a  religious  body  to  adopt  an  attitude  of  non- 
resistance  and  forgiveness  towards  their  enemies,  he  teaches  that 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  community  to  prevent  injustice  and  oppression. 
If  individuals  are  persecuted  and  injured  it  is  right  for  them  to 
forgive  and  abstain  from  retaliation,  but  it  is  wrong  for  a  community 
to  allow  pillage  and  murder  to  continue  unchecked  within  its 
borders.  It  is  the  duty  of  a  good  government  to  prevent  wrong¬ 
doing  and  to  punish  offenders.1  So  also  with  the  community  of 
nations.  If  one  nation  oppresses  or  injures  another,  it  is  the  duty 
of  all  other  nations  to  unite  to  prevent  such  oppression.  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  writes  : — 

“  It  may  happen  that  at  a  given  time  warlike  and  savage  tribes  may 
furiously  attack  the  body  politic  with  the  intention  of  carrying  on  a  whole¬ 
sale  slaughter  of  its  members ;  under  such  a  circumstance  defence  is 
necessary.” — Paris  Talks ,  fourth  edition,  p.  170. 

Hitherto  the  usual  practice  of  mankind  has  been  that  if  one  nation 
attacked  another,  the  rest  of  the  nations  of  the  world  remained 
neutral,  and  accepted  no  responsibility  in  the  matter  unless  their 
own  interests  were  directly  affected  or  threatened.  The  whole 
burden  of  defence  was  left  to  the  nation  attacked,  however  weak  and 

1  See  also  section  on  Treatment  of  Criminals,  p.  137. 


THE  WAY  TO  PEACE 


151 

helpless  it  might  be.  The  teaching  of  Baha’u’llah  reverses  this 
position  and  throws  the  responsibility  of  defence  not  specially 
on  the  nation  attacked,  but  on  all  the  others,  individually  and 
collectively.  As  the  whole  of  mankind  is  one  community,  an 
attack  on  any  one  nation  is  an  attack  on  the  community,  and  ought 
to  be  dealt  with  by  the  community.  Were  this  doctrine  generally 
recognized  and  acted  on,  any  nation  contemplating  an  aggression 
on  another  would  know  in  advance  that  it  would  have  to  reckon 
with  the  opposition  not  of  that  other  nation  only,  but  of  the  whole 
of  the  rest  of  the  world.  This  knowledge  alone  would  be  sufficient 
to  deter  even  the  boldest  and  most  bellicose  of  nations.  When  a 
sufficiently  strong  league  of  peace-loving  nations  is  established  war 
will,  therefore,  become  a  thing  of  the  past.  During  the  period 
of  transition  from  the  old  state  of  international  anarchy  to  the  new 
state  of  international  solidarity  aggressive  wars  will  still  be  possible, 
and  in  these  circumstances,  military  or  other  coercive  action  in 
the  cause  of  international  justice,  unity  and  peace  may  be  a  positive 
duty.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes  that  in  such  case  : — 

“  Even  war  is  sometimes  the  great  foundation  of  peace,  and  destroying 
is  the  cause  of  rebuilding  .  .  .  this  war  may  be  essentially  attuned  to 
the  melodies  of  peace  ;  and  then  verily  this  fury  is  kindness  itself,  this 
oppression  is  the  essence  of  justice  and  this  war  is  the  source  of  reconcilia¬ 
tion.  To-day,  the  true  duty  of  a  powerful  king  is  to  promote  universal 
peace  ;  for  verily  this  signifies  the  freedom  of  all  the  people  of  the  world.” — 
Mysterious  Forces  of  Civilization. 

Unity  of  East  and  West, 

Another  factor  which  will  help  in  bringing  about  universal 
peace  is  the  linking  together  of  the  East  and  the  West.  The  Most 
Great  Peace  is  no  mere  cessation  of  hostilities,  but  a  fertilizing  union 
and  cordial  co-operation  of  the  hitherto  sundered  peoples  of  the  earth 
which  will  bear  much  precious  fruit.  In  one  of  his  talks  in 
Paris,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  In  the  past,  as  in  the  present,  the  Spiritual  Sun  of  Truth  has  always 
shone  from  the  horizon  of  the  East.  In  the  East  Moses  arose  to  lead 
and  teach  the  people.  On  the  Eastern  horizon  arose  the  Lord  Christ. 
Muhammad  was  sent  to  an  Eastern  nation.  The  Bab  arose  in  the  Eastern 
land  of  Persia.  Baha’u’llah  lived  and  taught  in  the  East.  All  the  great 
spiritual  teachers  arose  in  the  Eastern  world. 


152 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  But  although  the  Sun  of  Christ  dawned  in  the  East,  the  radiance 
thereof  was  apparent  in  the  West,  where  the  effulgence  of  its  glory  wa3 
more  clearly  seen.  The  divine  light  of  His  teaching  shone  with  a  greater 
force  in  the  Western  world,  where  it  has  made  more  rapid  headway  than 
in  the  land  of  its  birth. 

“  In  these  days  the  East  is  in  need  of  material  progress  and  the  West 
is  in  need  of  a  spiritual  ideal.  It  would  be  well  for  the  West  to  turn  to 
the  East  for  illumination,  and  to  give  in  exchange  its  scientific  knowledge. 
There  must  be  this  interchange  of  gifts.  The  East  and  the  West  must 
unite  to  give  to  each  other  what  is  lacking.  This  union  will  bring  about 
true  civilization  where  the  spiritual  is  expressed  and  carried  out  in  the 
material.  Receiving  thus,  the  one  from  the  other,  the  greatest  harmony 
will  prevail,  all  people  will  be  united,  a  state  of  great  perfection  will  be 
attained,  there  will  be  a  firm  cementing,  and  this  world  wfill  become  a 
shining  mirror  for  the  reflection  of  the  attributes  of  God. 

“We  all,  the  Eastern  and  the  Western  nations,  must  strive  day  and 
night,  with  heart  and  soul,  to  achieve  this  high  ideal,  to  cement  the  unity 
between  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Every  heart  will  then  be  refreshed, 
all  eyes  will  be  opened,  the  most  wonderful  power  will  be  given,  the 
happiness  of  humanity  will  be  assured.  .  .  .  This  will  be  the  Paradise 
which  is  to  come  on  earth,  when  all  mankind  will  be  gathered  together 
under  the  Tent  of  Unity  in  the  Kingdom  of  Glory.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  17. 


CHAPTER  XI 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS 


“  Know  thou  that  in  every  age  and  dispensation  all  divine  ordinances  are 
changed  and  transformed  according  to  the  requirement  of  the  time,  except 
the  law  of  Love,  which,  like  a  fountain,  always  flows  and  is  never  overtaken 
by  change.” — Baha’u’llah. 


Monastic  Life. 

Baha’u’llah,  like  Muhammad,  forbids  his  followers  to  lead 
lives  of  monastic  seclusion. 

In  the  Tablet  to  Napoleon  III  we  read  : — 

“  Say  :  ‘  O  concourse  of  monks !  Seclude  not  yourselves  in  cells 
and  cloisters ;  nay,  abandon  them  at  My  bidding  and  engage  in  that  which 
profiteth  your  souls  and  the  souls  of  mankind.  .  . 

“  Enter  ye  into  wedlock,  that  one  may  rise  in  your  stead,  for  We  have 
gainsaid  impurity  and  enjoined  fidelity  upon  you.  Ye  have  followed 
your  own  ways  and  cast  behind  your  backs  the  ways  of  the  Lord.  Fear 
ye  the  Lord  and  be  not  of  the  foolish.  But  for  man,  who  would  make 
mention  of  My  name  in  My  land,  and  how  would  My  qualities  and 
attributes  be  revealed  ?  Ponder  ye,  and  be  not  of  them  that  are  veiled 
and  asleep.  He  that  wedded  not  (i.e.  Jesus)  found  not  a  place  in  which 
to  abide,  nor  shelter  wherein  to  lay  His  head,  and  this  through  that  which 
the  hands  of  treachery  had  wrought.  The  sanctity  of  His  soul  depended 
not  upon  that  which  ye  have  known  and  cherish  of  idle  fancy,  but  rather 
upon  that  which  We  have.  Ask,  that  ye  may  know  His  Station,  that 
transcendeth  the  imaginings  of  all  that  dwell  on  earth.  Blessed  are 
they  that  know  !  ” 

Does  it  not  seem  strange  that  Christian  sects  should  have 
instituted  the  monastic  life  and  celibacy  for  the  clergy,  in  view  of 
the  facts  that  Christ  chose  married  men  for  his  disciples,  and  both 
He  Himself  and  His  apostles  lived  lives  of  active  beneficence, 

in  close  association  and  familiar  intercourse  with  the  people  ? 

153 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


154 

In  the  Muhammadan  Qur’an  we  read  : — 

"To  Jesus  the  son  of  Mary  We  gave  the  Gospel,  and  We  put  into 
the  hearts  of  those  who  followed  Him  kindness  and  compassion  :  but 
as  to  the  monastic  life,  they  invented  it  themselves.  The  desire  only 
of  pleasing  God  did  We  prescribe  to  them,  and  this  they  observed  not 
as  it  ought  to  have  been  observed  ”  (Qur’an,  s.  lvii.  27). 

Whatever  justification  there  may  have  been  for  the  monastic 
life  in  ancient  times  and  bygone  circumstances,  Baha’u’llah 
declares  that  such  justification  no  longer  exists  ;  and,  indeed, 
it  seems  obvious  that  the  withdrawal  of  a  large  number  of  the  most 
pious  and  God-fearing  of  the  population  from  association  with 
their  fellows,  and  from  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  parenthood, 
must  result  in  the  spiritual  impoverishment  of  the  race. 

Marriage. 

The  Baha’i  teachings  recommend  monogamy,  and  Baha’u’llah 
makes  marriage  conditional  on  the  consent  of  both  parties  and  of 
their  parents.  He  says  in  the  Book  of  Aqdas  : — 

“  Verily  in  the  Book  of  Bayan  (the  Bab’s  Revelation)  the  matter  is 
restricted  to  the  consent  of  both  (bride  and  bridegroom).  As  We  desired 
to  bring  about  love  and  friendship  and  the  unity  of  the  people,  therefore 
We  made  it  conditional  upon  the  consent  of  the  parents  also,  that  enmity 
and  ill-feeling  might  be  avoided.” 

On  this  point  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  wrote  to  an  enquirer  : — 

"  As  to  the  question  of  marriage,  according  to  the  law  of  God  :  First 
you  must  select  one,  and  then  it  depends  on  the  consent  of  the  father  and 
mother.  Before  your  selection  they  have  no  right  of  interference.” — 
Tablets  of  ‘ Abdu1 l-Baha,  vol.  iii.  p.  563. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  that  as  a  result  of  this  precaution  of 
Baha’u’llah’s  the  strained  relations  between  relatives-in-law  which 
have  become  proverbial  in  Christian  and  Muhammadan  countries 
are  almost  unknown  among  the  Baha’is,  and  divorce  is  also  of 
very  rare  occurrence.  He  writes  on  the  subject  of  matrimony  : — 

"  The  Baha’i  betrothal  is  the  perfect  agreement  and  entire  consent 
of  both  parties.  They  must  show  forth  the  utmost  attention  and  become 
informed  of  one  another’s  character.  The  firm  covenant  between  them 
must  become  an  eternal  binding,  and  their  intentions  must  be  everlasting 
affinity,  friendship,  unity  and  life. 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  155 

“  The  bridegroom  must,  before  the  bridesman  and  a  few  others,  say  : 
*  Verily,  we  are  content  with  the  Will  of  God,’  and  the  bride  must  rejoin  : 
‘  Verily,  we  are  satisfied  with  the  Desire  of  God.’ 

“  The  marriage  of  Baha’is  means  that  the  man  and  woman  must  become 
spiritually  and  physically  united,  so  that  they  may  have  eternal  unity 
throughout  all  the  divine  worlds,  and  improve  the  spiritual  life  of 
each  other.  This  is  Baha’i  matrimony.” — Tablets  of  ‘ Abdul l-Baha , 
vol.  ii.  p.  325. 

Divorce. 

In  the  matter  of  divorce,  as  in  that  of  marriage,  the  instructions 
of  the  prophets  have  varied  in  accordance  with  the  circumstances 
of  the  times.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  states  the  Baha’i  teaching,  with 
regard  to  divorce,  thus  : — 

“  The  friends  (Baha’is)  must  strictly  refrain  from  divorce  unless  some¬ 
thing  arises  which  compels  them  to  separate  because  of  their  aversion 
for  each  other  ;  in  that  case,  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Spiritual  Assembly, 
they  may  decide  to  separate.  They  must  then  be  patient  and  wait  one 
complete  year.  If  during  this  year  harmony  is  not  re-established  between 
them,  then  their  divorce  may  be  realized.  .  .  .  The  foundation  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  based  upon  harmony  and  love,  oneness,  relationship 
and  union,  not  upon  differences,  especially  between  husband  and  wife. 
If  one  of  these  two  become  the  cause  of  divorce,  that  one  will  unquestion¬ 
ably  fall  into  great  difficulties,  will  become  the  victim  of  formidable  calami¬ 
ties  and  experience  deep  remorse”  (Tablet  to  the  Baha’is  of  America). 

In  the  matter  of  divorce,  as  in  other  matters  Baha’is  will, 
of  course,  be  bound  not  only  by  the  Baha’i  teaching,  but  also  by 
the  laws  of  the  country  in  which  they  live. 

The  Baha’i  Calendar. 

Among  different  peoples  and  at  different  times  many  different 
methods  have  been  adopted  for  the  measurement  of  time  and 
fixing  of  dates,  and  several  different  calendars  are  still  in  daily 
use,  e.g.  the  Gregorian  in  Western  Europe,  the  Julian  in  many 
countries  of  Eastern  Europe,  the  Hebrew  among  the  Jews,  and 
the  Muhammadan  in  Muslim  communities. 

The  Bab  signalized  the  importance  of  the  dispensation  which 
he  came  to  herald,  by  inaugurating  a  new  calendar.  In  this, 
as  in  the  Gregorian  Calendar,  the  lunar  month  is  abandoned  and 
the  solar  year  is  adopted. 


156  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

The  Baha’i  year  consists  of  19  months  of  19  days  each  (he.  361 
days),  with  the  addition  of  certain  “  Intercalary  Days  ”  (four 
in  ordinary  and  five  in  leap  years)  between  the  eighteenth  and 
nineteenth  months  in  order  to  adjust  the  calendar  to  the  solar 
year.  The  Bab  named  the  months  after  the  attributes  of  God. 
The  Baha’i  New  Year,  like  the  ancient  Persian  New  Year, 
is  astronomically  fixed,  commencing  at  the  March  equinox 
(March  2 1  st),  and  the  Baha’i  era  commences  with  the  year  of 
the  Bab’s  declaration  (i.e.  1844  a.d.,  1260  a.h.). 

In  the  not  far  distant  future  it  will  be  necessary  that  all  peoples 
in  the  world  agree  on  a  common  calendar. 

It  seems,  therefore,  fitting  that  the  new  age  of  unity  should 
have  a  new  calendar  free  from  the  objections  and  associations 
which  make  each  of  the  older  calendars  unacceptable  to  large 
sections  of  the  world’s  population,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  any 
other  arrangement  could  exceed  in  simplicity  and  convenience 
that  proposed  by  the  Bab.1 


1  The  months  in  the  Baha’i  Calendar  are  as  follows  : — 


Month. 

Arabic  Name. 

Translation. 

First  Days. 

ISt 

Baha 

Splendour 

March  21st 

2nd 

Jalal 

Glory 

April  9th 

3rd 

Jamal 

Beauty 

April  28  th 

4th 

‘Azamat 

Grandeur 

May  17th 

5* 

Nur 

Light 

June  5th 

6th 

Rabmat 

Mercy 

June  24th 

7  th 

Kalimat 

Words 

July  13  th 

8  th 

Asma’ 

Names 

Aug.  1st 

9th 

Kamal 

Perfection 

Aug.  20th 

10th 

‘Izzat 

Might 

Sept.  8th 

1  ith 

Mashlyyat 

Will 

Sept.  27th 

1 2  th 

‘Ilm 

Knowledge 

Oct.  16th 

13th 

Qudrat 

Power 

Nov.  4th 

14  th 

Qawl 

Speech 

Nov.  23rd 

15th 

Masa’il 

Questions 

Dec.  12th 

16th 

Sharaf 

Honour 

Dec.  31st 

17th 

Sultan 

Sovereignty 

Jan.  19th 

1 8  th 

Mulk 

Dominion 

Feb.  7th 

Intercalary  Days,  F 

eb.  26th  to  March  1st, 

inclusive. 

19th 

‘Ula 

Loftiness 

March  2nd 

VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  157 

Spiritual  Assemblies. 

In  every  centre  where  Baha’is  exceed  nine  in  number,  it  is 
recommended  that  a  “  Spiritual  Assembly,”  or  Council,  should 
be  elected,  to  guide  and  co-ordinate  the  activities  of  the  friends 
in  the  district.  The  following  account  of  the  Spiritual  Assemblies 
in  the  cities  of  Persia  was  given  to  the  writer  by  Jinab-i-Asadu’llah 
Fadil  (Mazindarani),  and  shows  very  clearly  the  Baha’i  methods 
of  organization  : — 

“  The  main  duties  of  the  Spiritual  Assembly  (S.A.)  are  as  follows : — 

1.  To  make  arrangements  for  spreading  the  teachings  among  the 

people  by  means  of  meetings,  literature,  etc. 

General  meetings,  at  which  non-believers  are  welcome,  are 
held  several  times  a  week  for  teaching  and  guiding  the  people 
and  attracting  and  strengthening  new  Baha’is. 

2.  To  make  arrangements  for  helping  the  poor  and  needy,  both  among 

Baha’is  and  non-Baha’is.  If  one  of  the  friends  is  in  any  trouble, 
domestic,  business  or  spiritual,  he  may  apply  to  the  S.A.,  who 
will  give  him  advice  and  help. 

3.  To  promote  education,  science  and  art.  The  SA.  makes  itself 

responsible  for  seeing  that  every  Baha’i  child  receives  a  good 
education. 

4.  Instruction  in  the  Baha’i  Laws.  The  S.A.  appoints  competent 

teachers  to  go  to  the  general  meetings  to  expound  the  laws  and 
exhort  the  people  to  obey  them.  If  some  of  those  associating 
with  the  friends  and  professing  to  be  Baha’is  are  acting  as  hypo¬ 
crites  and  not  living  up  to  their  professions,  the  S.A.  arranges 
special  meetings  for  those  people,  and  teachers  who  are  wise, 
firm  and  experienced  explain  to  them  their  duties  and  train 
them. 

5.  Collection  and  administration  of  funds.  No  collections  are  taken 

at  general  meetings  and  the  public  is  not  asked  to  contribute. 
The  money  is  given  by  those  who  are  real  Baha’is.  The  S.A. 
keeps  a  book  with  the  names  of  contributors  and  the  amounts 
of  their  contributions.  There  are  certain  times  appointed 
for  receiving  contributions  and  giving  receipts.  Anonymous 
gifts  are  frequently  given.  The  S.A.  determines  how  the 
funds  shall  be  spent,  how  much  shall  be  devoted  to  teaching,  how 
much  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  etc. 

6.  Arrangement  of  feasts.  The  S.A.  appoints  a  Committee  to  superin¬ 

tend  feasts.  Feasts  are  held  by  groups  of  friends  every  nine¬ 
teen  days.  The  Committee  has  a  book  in  which  the  arrange¬ 
ments  for  feasts  are  recorded.  Anyone  wishing  to  give  a  feast 
arranges  the  date,  time  and  place  with  the  Committee.  One 


158 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


friend  may  give  three  feasts  a  year,  another  more,  another 
fewer.  The  committee  has  a  second  book  in  which  arrange¬ 
ments  for  hospitality  to  visiting  Baha’is  are  recorded.  If  a 
feast  has  been  arranged  for  a  certain  day,  the  host  is  informed 
how  many  Baha’i  visitors  are  in  the  town.  If  the  host  cannot 
entertain  them  all,  other  Baha’is  will  arrange  to  do  so.  Feasts 
for  all  the  Baha’is  in  a  town  simultaneously  occur  only  on 
special  feast  days,  such  as  Nawruz  (New  Year)  and  Ridvan. 

All  the  activities  of  the  Baha’is  in  the  district  should  be  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  S.A.,  which  should  be  the  focus  from  which 
the  Light  of  the  Spirit  radiates.  If  the  Spiritual  Assembly 
is  not  pure  and  spiritual,  the  Cause  cannot  prosper  in  that  town. 
The  friends  should  realize  that  they  must  obey  the  Spiritual 
Assembly  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  Cause.  At  every  meeting 
of  the  S.A.  a  tablet  is  chanted,  in  which  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  explains 
the  various  duties  of  the  Assembly. 

The  Election  of  the  Spiritual  Assembly  is  conducted  as 
follows  : — 

When  an  election  is  about  to  take  place,  an  announcement 
is  sent  to  all  the  friends.  Experienced  Baha’is  explain  to  the 
people  what  qualifications  are  required  in  members  of  the  S.A. 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  that  the  first  requirement  is  that  a  member 
of  the  S.A.  should  be  firm  in  the  Covenant.  He  should  also 
be  experienced  in  the  Cause  and  sufficiently  educated,  and  his 
character  must  be  good.  People  should  be  elected  who  will 
work  together  in  harmony.  No  one  should  be  elected  who 
would  cause  disharmony. 

The  friends  elect  representatives  to  the  number  of,  say,  38, 
as  a  Selection  Committee,  and  this  Committee  appoints  the 
Spiritual  Assembly,  the  members  of  which  should  number  not 
less  than  nine.  In  Persia,  the  women  still  have  a  separate 
Spiritual  Assembly,  but  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  that  in  the  West  both 
men  and  women  should  be  associated  in  the  same  Assembly. 
Members  are  elected  for  a  period  of  two  or  three  years.  All 
retire  together  at  the  end  of  their  period  of  office  and  a 
new  S.A.  is  appointed.” 


Feasts. 

The  essential  joyousness  of  the  Baha’i  religion  finds  expression 
in  numerous  feasts  and  holidays  throughout  the  year. 

In  a  talk  on  the  Feast  of  Nawruz,  in  Alexandria,  Egypt,  in 
1912,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  In  the  sacred  laws  of  God,  in  every  cycle  and  dispensation  there  are 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  159 

blessed  feasts,  holidays  and  workless  days.  On  such  days  all  kinds  of 
occupations,  commerce,  industry,  agriculture,  etc.,  should  be  suspended. 

“  All  should  rejoice  together,  hold  general  meetings,  become  as  one 
assembly,  so  that  the  national  oneness,  unity  and  harmony  may  be  demon¬ 
strated  in  the  eyes  of  all. 

“As  it  is  a  blessed  day  it  should  not  be  neglected,  nor  deprived  of 
results  by  making  it  a  day  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  mere  pleasure. 

“  During  such  days  institutions  should  be  founded  that  may  be  of 
permanent  benefit  and  value  to  the  people.  .  .  . 

“  To-day  there  is  no  result  or  fruit  greater  than  guiding  the  people. 
Undoubtedly  the  friends  of  God,  upon  such  a  day,  must  leave  tangible 
philanthropic  or  ideal  traces  that  should  reach  all  mankind  and  not  pertain 
only  to  the  Baha’is.  In  this  wonderful  dispensation,  philanthropic  affairs 
are  for  all  humanity  without  exception,  because  it  is  the  manifestation  of 
the  mercifulness  of  God.  Therefore,  my  hope  is  that  the  friends  of  God, 
every  one  of  them,  may  become  as  the  mercy  of  God  to  all  mankind.” 

The  Feasts  of  Nawruz  (New  Year)  and  Ridvan,  the 
anniversaries  of  the  birth  of  the  Bab  and  Baha’u’llah,  and  of  the 
Bab’s  declaration  (which  is  also  the  birthday  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha), 
are  the  great  joy-days  of  the  year  for  Baha’is.  In  Persia  they 
are  celebrated  by  picnics  or  festal  gatherings  at  which  music,  the 
chanting  of  verses  and  tablets,  and  short  addresses  suitable  to  the 
occasion  are  contributed  by  those  present.  The  intercalary 
days  between  the  18th  and  19th  months  (i.e.  February  26th  to 
March  1st  inclusive)  are  specially  devoted  to  hospitality  to  friends, 
the  giving  of  presents,  ministering  to  the  poor  and  sick,  etc. 

The  anniversaries  of  the  martyrdom  of  the  Bab  and  the 
departure  of  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  are  celebrated  with 
solemnity  by  appropriate  meetings  and  discourses,  the  chanting 
of  prayers  and  tablets. 

Fast. 

The  nineteenth  month,  following  immediately  on  the  hospitality 
of  the  intercalary  days,  is  the  month  of  the  fast.  During  nineteen 
days  the  fast  is  observed  by  abstaining  from  both  food  and  drink 
from  sunrise  to  sunset.  As  the  month  of  the  fast  ends  at  the 
March  equinox,  the  fast  always  falls  in  the  same  season,  namely, 
spring  in  the  northern,  and  autumn  in  the  southern,  hemisphere  ; 
never  in  the  extreme  heat  of  summer  nor  in  the  extreme  cold  of 
winter,  when  hardship  would  be  likely  to  result.  At  that  season, 


160  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


moreover,  the  interval  between  sunrise  and  sunset  is  approxi¬ 
mately  the  same  all  over  the  habitable  portion  of  the  globe,  namely, 
from  about  6  a.m.  to  6  p.m.  The  fast  is  not  binding  on  children 
and  invalids,  on  travellers,  or  on  those  who  are  too  old  or  too  weak 
(including  women  who  are  with  child  or  have  babes  at  the  breast). 

There  is  much  evidence  to  show  that  a  periodical  fast  such  as 
is  enjoined  by  the  Baha’i  teachings  is  beneficial  as  a  measure 
of  physical  hygiene  but  just  as  the  reality  of  the  Baha’i  feast 
does  not  lie  in  the  consumption  of  physical  food,  but  in  the  com¬ 
memoration  of  God,  which  is  our  spiritual  food,  so  the  reality 
of  the  Baha’i  fast  does  not  consist  in  abstention  from  physical 
food,  although  that  may  help  in  the  purification  of  the  body,  but 
in  the  abstention  from  the  desires  and  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  in 
severance  from  all  save  God.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Fasting  is  a  symbol.  Fasting  signifies  abstinence  from  lust.  Physical 
fasting  is  a  symbol  of  that  abstinence,  and  is  a  reminder ;  that  is,  just 
as  a  person  abstains  from  physical  appetites,  he  is  to  abstain  from  self¬ 
appetites  and  self-desires.  But  mere  abstention  from  food  has  no  effect 
on  the  spirit.  It  is  only  a  symbol,  a  reminder.  Otherwise  it  is  of  no 
importance.  Fasting  for  this  purpose  does  not  mean  entire  abstinence 
from  food.  The  golden  rule  as  to  food  is,  do  not  take  too  much  or  too 
little.  Moderation  is  necessary.  There  is  a  sect  in  India  who  practise 
extreme  abstinence,  and  gradually  reduce  their  food  until  they  exist  on 
almost  nothing.  But  their  intelligence  suffers.  A  man  is  not  fit  to  do 
service  for  God  with  brains  or  body  if  he  is  weakened  by  lack  of  food. 
He  cannot  see  clearly  ”  (quoted  by  Miss  E.  S.  Stevens  in  Fortnightly 
Review ,  June  1911). 

Meetings. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  attaches  the  greatest  importance  to  regular 
meetings  of  the  believers  for  united  worship,  for  the  exposition 
and  study  of  the  teachings  and  for  consultation  regarding  the 
progress  of  the  Movement.  In  one  of  his  tablets  he  says  : — 

“  It  hath  been  decided  by  the  Desire  of  God  that  union  and  harmony 
may  day  by  day  increase  among  the  friends  of  God  and  the  handmaids 
of  the  Merciful.  Not  until  this  is  realized  will  the  affairs  advance  by 
any  means  whatever  !  And  the  greatest  means  for  the  union  and  harmony 
of  all  are  Spiritual  Meetings.  This  matter  is  very  important  and  is  as 
a  magnet  to  attract  divine  confirmation.” — Tablets  of  4 Abdul l-B aha, 
vol.  i.  p.  125. 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  161 


In  the  spiritual  meetings  of  Baha’is  contentious  argument  and 
the  discussion  of  political  or  worldly  affairs  must  be  avoided  ; 
the  sole  aim  of  the  believers  should  be  to  teach  and  learn  Divine 
Truth ,  to  have  their  hearts  filled  with  Divine  Love,  to  attain  more 
perfect  obedience  to  the  Divine  Will,  and  to  promote  the  coming 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  In  an  address  given  at  New  York 
in  1912,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  The  Baha’i  meeting  must  be  the  meeting  of  the  Celestial  Concourse. 
It  must  be  illumined  by  the  Lights  of  the  Celestial  Concourse.  The  hearts 
must  be  as  mirrors  wherein  the  Lights  of  the  Sun  of  Truth  shall  be 
revealed.  Every  bosbm  must  be  as  a  telegraph  station  :  one  terminal 
of  the  wire  shall  be  in  the  bosom  of  the  soul,  the  other  in  the  Celestial 
Concourse,  so  that  messages  may  be  exchanged  between  them.  In  this 
way  from  the  Abha  Kingdom  inspiration  shall  flow  and  in  all  discussions 
harmony  shall  prevail.  .  .  .  The  more  agreement,  unity  and  love  prevail 
among  you,  the  more  shall  the  confirmations  of  God  assist  you,  and  the 
help  and  aid  of  the  Blessed  Beauty,  Baha’u’llah,  support  you.” 

In  one  of  his  Tablets  he  said  : — 

“  In  these  meetings  outside  conversation  must  be  entirely  avoided, 
and  the  gathering  must  be  confined  to  chanting  the  verses  and  reading  the 
words,  and  to  matters  which  concern  the  Cause  of  God,  such  as  explaining 
proofs,  adducing  clear  and  manifest  evidences,  and  tracing  the  signs  of 
the  Beloved  One  of  the  creatures.  Those  who  attend  the  meeting 
must,  before  entering,  be  arrayed  with  the  utmost  cleanliness  and  turn 
to  the  Abha  Kingdom,  and  then  enter  the  meeting  with  all  meekness  and 
humbleness ;  and  while  the  tablets  are  being  read,  must  be  quiet  and 
silent ;  and  if  one  wishes  to  speak  he  must  do  so  with  all  courtesy,  with 
the  satisfaction  and  permission  of  those  present,  and  do  it  with  eloquence 
and  fluency.” 

Mashriqu’L-Adhkar.1 

Baha’u’llah  left  instructions  that  temples  of  worship  should  be 
built  by  his  followers  in  every  country  and  city.  To  these  temples 
he  gave  the  name  of  “  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar,”  which  means 
“  Dawning  Place  of  God’s  Praise.”  The  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar 
is  to  be  a  nine-sided  building  surmounted  by  a  dome,  and  as 
beautiful  as  possible  in  design  and  workmanship.  It  is  to  stand 
in  a  large  garden  adorned  with  fountains,  trees  and  flowers, 
surrounded  by  a  number  of  accessory  buildings  devoted  to 

1  Pronounced  Azkar. 

II 


162 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


educational,  charitable  and  social  purposes,  so  that  the  worship 
of  God  in  the  temple  may  always  be  closely  associated  with  reverent 
delight  in  the  beauties  of  nature  and  of  art,  and  with  practical 
work  for  the  amelioration  of  social  conditions.1 

In  Persia,  up  till  the  present,  Baha’is  have  been  debarred  from 
building  temples  for  public  worship,  and  so  the  first  great 
Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  was  built  in  Ishqabad,  Russia.  The  second 
will  be  at  Wilmette,  on  the  lake-shore  near  Chicago,  U.S.A. 
A  beautiful  site  has  been  secured,  plans  have  been  approved,  the 
architect  being  Mr.  Louis  Bourgeois,  and  the  construction  is  now 
in  progress.  In  various  tablets  referring  to  this  “  Mother- 
Temple  ”  of  the  West,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes  as  follows  : — 

“  Praise  be  to  God,  that,  at  this  moment,  from  every  country  in  the 
world,  according  to  their  various  means,  contributions  are  continually 
being  sent  toward  the  fund  of  the  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  in  America.  .  .  . 
From  the  day  of  Adam  until  now,  such  a  thing  has  never  been  witnessed 
by  man,  that  from  the  furthermost  country  of  Asia  contributions  were 
forwarded  to  America.  This  is  through  the  power  of  the  Covenant 
of  God.  Verily  this  is  a  cause  of  astonishment  for  the  people  of  per¬ 
ception.  It  is  hoped  that  the  believers  of  God  may  show  magnanimity 
and  raise  a  great  sum  for  the  building.  ...  I  want  everyone  left  free 
to  act  as  he  wills.  If  anyone  wishes  to  put  money  into  other  things,  let 
him  do  so.  Do  not  interfere  with  him  in  any  way,  but  be  assured  the 
most  important  thing  at  this  time  is  the  building  of  the  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar. 

“  The  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  must  have  nine  sides,  doors,  fountains, 
paths,  gateways,  columns  and  gardens,  with  ground  floor,  galleries  and 
domes,  and  in  design  and  construction  must  be  beautiful.  The  mystery 
of  the  edifice  is  great,  and  cannot  be  unveiled  yet,  but  its  erection  is  the 
most  important  undertaking  of  this  day.  The  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  has 
important  accessories,  which  are  accounted  of  the  basic  foundations. 
These  are  :  school  for  orphan  children,  hospital  and  dispensary  for  the 
poor,  home  for  the  incapable,  college  for  the  higher  scientific  education. 


1  In  connection  with  the  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  it  is  interesting  to  recall 
Tennyson’s  linis  : — 


“  I  dreamed 

That  stone  by  stone  I  reared  a  sacred  fane, 

A  temple,  neither  Pagod,  Mosque  nor  Church, 

But  loftier,  simpler,  always  open-doored 

To  every  breath  from  heaven,  and  Truth  and  Peace 

And  Love  and  Justice  came  and  dwelt  therein.” 

Akbars  Dream,  1892. 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  163 

and  hospice.  In  every  city  a  great  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  must  be  founded 
after  this  order.  In  the  Mashriqu’l-Adhkar  services  will  be  held  every 
morning.  There  will  be  no  organ  in  the  Temple.  In  buildings  near 
by,  festivals,  services,  conventions,  public  meetings  and  spiritual  gatherings 
will  be  held,  but  in  the  Temple  the  chanting  and  singing  will  be  unaccom¬ 
panied.  Open  ye  the  gates  of  the  Temple  to  all  mankind. 

“  When  these  institutions,  college,  hospital,  hospice  and  establishment 
for  the  incurables,  university  for  the  study  of  higher  sciences,  giving  post¬ 
graduate  courses,  and  other  philanthropic  buildings  are  built,  the  doors 
will  be  opened  to  all  the  nations  and  religions.  There  will  be  absolutely 
no  line  of  demarcation  drawn.  Its  charities  will  be  dispensed  irrespective 
of  colour  or  race.  Its  gates  will  be  flung  wide  open  to  mankind  ;  prejudice 
towards  none,  love  for  all.  The  central  building  will  be  devoted  to 
the  purpose  of  prayer  and  worship.  Thus  .  .  .  religion  will  become 
harmonized  with  science,  and  science  will  be  the  handmaid  of  religion, 
both  showering  their  material  and  spiritual  gifts  on  all  humanity.” 


Life  After  Death. 

Baha’u’llah  tells  us  that  the  life  in  the  flesh  is  but  the  embryonic 
stage  of  our  existence,  and  that  escape  from  the  body  is  like  a  new 
birth  through  which  the  human  spirit  enters  on  a  fuller,  freer 
life.  He  writes  : — 

“  Know  that  the  spirit  will  ascend  after  its  departure  until  it  enters 
the  presence  of  God,  in  a  form  which  will  be  everlasting  as  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  His  Sovereignty,  His  Power  and 
His  Might ;  and  from  it  will  appear  the  traces  of  God,  His  Qualities, 
providences  and  favours.  The  Hand  of  the  Divine  Bounty  will  cause 
the  spirit  to  enter  into  a  station  which  cannot  be  comprehended  by  expres¬ 
sion  nor  be  explained  by  all  the  creatures  of  existence.  Blessing  be  upon 
the  spirit  that  departs  from  the  body  purified  from  the  doubts  and  super¬ 
stitions  of  the  nations.  Verily  it  moves  m  the  atmosphere  of  God’s 
Holy  Will  and  enters  into  the  Supreme  Paradise.  All  the  angels  of  the 
Supreme  Paradise  attend  and  surround  it,  and  it  will  have  fellowship 
with  all  the  prophets  of  God  and  His  saints,  and  speak  with  them,  and 
tell  them  what  happened  to  it  in  the  Cause  of  God,  the  Lord  of  the 
Universe. 

“  If  any  one  could  realize  what  hath  been  ordained  in  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  the  Lord  of  the  Throne  and  of  the  dust,  he  would  immediately 
yearn  with  a  great  longing  for  that  immutable,  exalted,  holy  and  glorious 
station.  As  to  the  form  (of  the  spirit)  it  cannot  be  described,  nor  is  there 
any  necessity  to  explain  it ;  only  some  things  need  to  be  known  ;  messengers 
came  only  to  guide  the  creatures  to  the  straight  path  of  God,  and  in  order 
that  people  may  be  trained. 


1 64  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

“  By  the  Self  of  God,  the  rays  of  those  (ascended)  spirits  are  the  cause 
of  the  development  of  the  people  and  the  elevation  of  the  nations.  They 
are  the  leaven  of  existence.  The  spirits  were  and  are  for  ever  superior 
to  us,  and  the  difference  between  this  (earthly)  kingdom  and  the  other 
is  like  the  difference  between  the  embryonic  world  and  this  world  ” 
(Tablet  translated  by  ‘All  Quli  Khan  about  1903). 

Similarly  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes  : — 

“The  mysteries  of  which  man  is  heedless  in  the  earthly  world,  those 
will  he  discover  in  the  heavenly  world,  and  there  will  he  be  informed  of 
the  secrets  of  the  truth  ;  how  much  more  will  he  recognize  or  discover 
persons  with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  Undoubtedly  the  holy 
souls  who  find  a  pure  eye  and  are  favoured  with  insight  will,  in  the  kingdom 
of  lights,  be  acquainted  with  all  mysteries,  and  will  seek  the  bounty  of 
witnessing  the  reality  of  every  great  soul.  They  will  even  manifestly 
behold  the  Beauty  of  God  in  that  world.  Likewise  will  they  find  all  the 
friends  of  God,  both  those  of  the  former  and  recent  times,  present  in 
the  heavenly  assemblage. 

“  The  difference  and  distinction  between  men  will  naturally  become 
realized  after  their  departure  from  this  mortal  world.  But  this  dis¬ 
tinction  is  not  in  respect  to  place,  but  in  respect  to  the  soul  and  conscience. 
For  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  sanctified  (or  free)  from  time  and  place ; 
it  is  another  world  and  another  universe.  And  know  thou  for  a  certainty 
that  in  the  divine  worlds  the  spiritual  beloved  ones  will  recognize  one 
another,  and  will  seek  union  with  each  other,  but  a  spiritual  union.  Like¬ 
wise  a  love  that  one  may  have  entertained  for  anyone  will  not  be  forgotten 
in  the  world  of  the  Kingdom,  nor  wilt  thou  forget  there  the  life  that 
thou  hadst  in  the  material  world.” — Tablets  of  ‘  Abdu’ l-Bakdf  vol.  i.  p.  204. 

Heaven  and  Hell. 

Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  regard  the  descriptions  of  Heaven 
and  Hell  given  in  some  of  the  older  religious  writings  as  symbolic, 
like  the  Biblical  story  of  the  Creation,  and  not  as  literally  true. 
According  to  them,  Heaven  is  the  state  of  perfection,  and  Hell 
that  of  imperfection;  Heaven  is  harmony  with  God’s  will  and  with 
our  fellows,  and  Hell  is  the  want  of  such  harmony  ;  Heaven  is  the 
condition  of  spiritual  life,  and  Hell  that  of  spiritual  death.  A  man 
may  be  either  in  Heaven  or  in  Hell  while  still  in  the  body. 
The  joys  of  Heaven  are  spiritual  joys,  and  the  pains  of  Hell  consist 
in  the  deprivation  of  these  joys. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  165 

“  When  men  are  delivered  through  the  light  of  faith  from  the  darkness 
of  vices,  and  become  illuminated  with  the  radiance  of  the  sun  of  Truth, 
and  ennobled  with  all  the  virtues,  they  esteem  this  to  be  the  greatest 
reward  and  they  know  it  to  be  the  true  paradise.  In  the  same  way 
they  consider  that  the  spiritual  punishment  is  to  be  subjected  to  the 
world  of  nature,  to  be  veiled  from  God,  to  be  brutal  and  ignorant,  to  fall 
into  carnal  lusts,  to  be  absorbed  in  animal  frailties,  to  be  characterized 
with  dark  qualities  .  .  .  these  are  the  greatest  punishments  and  tortures. 

“  The  rewards  of  the  other  world  are  the  perfections  and  the  peace 
obtained  in  the  spiritual  worlds  after  leaving  this  world  .  .  .  the  spiritual 
favours,  the  various  spiritual  gifts  in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  the  gaining 
of  the  desires  of  the  heart  and  soul,  and  the  meeting  of  God  in  the  world 
of  eternity.  In  the  same  way,  the  punishments  of  the  other  world  consist 
in  being  deprived  of  the  special  divine  blessings  and  the  absolute  bounties 
and  falling  into  the  lowest  degrees  of  existence.  He  who  is  deprived  of 
these  divine  favours,  although  he  continues  after  death,  is  considered  as 
dead  by  the  people  of  truth. 

“The  wealth  of  the  other  world  is  nearness  to  God.  Consequently 
it  is  certain  that  those  who  are  near  the  Divine  Court  are  allowed  to  inter¬ 
cede,  and  this  intercession  is  approved  by  God.  It  is  even  possible  that 
the  condition  of  those  who  have  died  in  sin  and  unbelief  may  become 
changed  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  may  be  the  object  of  pardon  through  the' 
Bounty  of  God,  not  through  His  Justice  ;  for  bounty  is  giving  without 
desert,  and  justice  is  giving  what  is  deserved.  As  we  have  power  to 
pray  for  these  souls  here,  so  likewise  we  shall  possess  the  same  power 
in  the  other  world,  which  is  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Therefore  in  that 
world  also  they  can  make  progress.  As  here  they  can  receive  light  by 
their  own  supplications,  there  also  can  they  plead  for  forgiveness,  and 
receive  light  through  entreaties  and  supplications. 

“  Both  befoie  and  after  putting  off  this  material  form,  there  is  progress 
in  perfection,  but  not  in  state.  There  is  no  other  being  higher  than  a 
perfect  man.  Man  when  he  has  reached  that  state  can  still  make  progress 
in  perfections  but  not  in  state,  because  there  is  no  state  higher  than  that 
of  a  perfect  man  to  which  he  can  transfer  himself.  He  only  progresses 
in  the  state  of  humanity,  for  the  human  perfections  are  infinite.  Thus, 
however  learned  a  man  may  be  we  can  imagine  one  more  learned.  Hence, 
as  the  perfections  of  humanity  are  endless,  man  can  also  make  progress 
in  perfections  after  leaving  this  world.” — Some  Answered  Questions , 
pp.  259-274. 

Oneness  of  the  Two  Worlds. 

The  unity  of  humanity  as  taught  by  Baha’u’llah  refers  not  only 
to  men  still  in  the  flesh,  but  to  all  human  beings,  whether  embodied 
or  disembodied.  Not  only  all  men  now  living  on  the  earth, 
but  all  in  the  spiritual  world  as  well,  are  parts  of  one  and  the  same 


166  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


organism  and  these  two  parts  are  intimately  dependent,  one  on  the 
other.  Spiritual  communion  one  with  the  other,  far  from  being 
impossible  or  unnatural,  is  constant  and  inevitable.  Those  whose 
spiritual  faculties  are  as  yet  undeveloped  are  unconscious  of  this 
vital  connection,  but  as  one’s  faculties  develop,  communication 
with  those  beyond  the  veil  gradually  becomes  more  conscious  and 
definite.  To  the  prophets  and  saints  this  spiritual  communion 
is  as  familar  and  real  as  are  ordinary  vision  and  conversation  to 
the  rest  of  mankind. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  The  visions  of  the  prophets  are  not  dreams ;  no,  they  are  spiritual 
discoveries  and  have  reality.  They  say,  for  example  :  ‘  I  saw  a  person 
in  a  certain  form,  and  I  said  such  a  thing,  and  he  gave  me  such  an  answer.’ 
This  vision  is  in  the  world  of  wakefulness,  and  not  in  that  of  sleep  ;  it  is 
a  spiritual  discovery. 

“  Among  spiritual  souls,  there  are  spiritual  understandings,  discoveries, 
a  communion  which  is  purified  from  imagination  and  fancy,  an  associa¬ 
tion  which  is  sanctified  from  time  and  place.  So  it  is  written  in  the 
gospel  that  on  Mount  Tabor  Moses  and  Elias  came  to  Christ,  and  it  is 
evident  that  this  was  not  a  material  meeting.  It  was  a  spiritual  condi¬ 
tion.  ”  Communications  such  as  these  ‘‘are  real,  and  produce  wonderful 
effects  in  the  minds  and  thoughts  of  men,  and  cause  their  hearts  to  be 
attracted.” — Some  Answered  Questions ,  pp.  290-292. 

While  admitting  the  reality  of  “  supernormal  ”  psychic  faculties 
he  deprecates  attempts  to  force  their  development  prematurely. 
These  faculties  will  unfold  naturally  when  the  right  time  comes, 
if  we  only  follow  the  path  of  spiritual  progress  which  the  prophets 
have  traced  for  us.  He  says  : — 

“To  tamper  with  psychic  forces  while  in  this  world  interferes  with 
the  condition  of  the  soul  in  the  world  to  come.  These  forces  are  real, 
but,  normally,  are  not  active  on  this  plane.  The  child  in  the  womb  has 
its  eyes,  ears,  hands,  feet,  etc.,  but  they  are  not  in  activity.  The  whole 
purpose  of  life  in  the  material  world  is  the  coming  forth  into  the  world 
of  Reality,  where  those  forces  will  become  active.  They  belong  to 
that  world  ”  (from  Miss  Buckton’s  notes,  revised  by  ‘Abdu’l-Baha). 

Intercourse  with  spirits  of  the  departed  ought  not  to  be  sought 
for  its  own  sake,  nor  in  order  to  gratify  idle  curiosity.  It  is  both 
a  privilege  and  duty,  however,  for  those  on  one  side  of  the  veil 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  167 

to  love  and  help  and  pray  for  those  on  the  other.  Prayers  for  the 
dead  are  enjoined  on  Baha’is.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  The  grace  of  effective  intercession  is  one  of  the  perfections  belonging 
to  advanced  souls,  as  well  as  to  the  Manifestations  of  God.  Jesus  Christ 
had  the  power  of  interceding  for  the  forgiveness  of  His  enemies  when  on 
earth,  and  He  certainly  has  this  power  now.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  never  men¬ 
tions  the  name  of  a  dead  person  without  saying,  ‘  May  God  forgive  him  !  * 
or  words  to  that  effect.  Followers  of  the  prophets  have  also  this  power 
of  praying  for  the  forgiveness  of  souls.  Therefore  we  may  not  think 
that  any  souls  are  condemned  to  a  stationary  condition  of  suffering  or  loss 
arising  from  absolute  ignorance  of  God.  The  power  of  effective  inter¬ 
cession  for  them  always  exists.  .  .  . 

“  The  rich  in  the  other  world  can  help  the  poor,  as  the  rich  can  help 
the  poor  here.  In  every  world  all  are  the  creatures  of  God.  They  are 
always  dependent  on  Him.  They  are  not  independent  and  can  never 
be  so.  While  they  are  needful  of  God,  the  more  they  supplicate,  the 
richer  they  become.  What  is  their  merchandise,  their  wealth  ?  In 
the  other  world  what  is  help  and  assistance  ?  It  is  intercession.  Un¬ 
developed  souls  must  gain  progress  at  first  through  the  supplications  of 
the  spiritually  rich  ;  afterwards  they  can  progress  through  their  own 
supplications  ”  (talk  to  Miss  E.  J.  Rosenberg  in  1904). 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  Those  who  have  ascended  have  different  attributes  from  those  who 
are  still  on  earth,  yet  there  is  no  real  separation.  In  prayer  there  is  a 
mingling  of  station,  a  mingling  of  condition.  Pray  for  them  as  they 
pray  for  you.” — ‘ Abdtd  l-B  aha  in  London ,  p.  97. 

Asked  whether  it  was  possible  through  faith  and  love  to  bring 
the  New  Revelation  to  the  knowledge  of  those  who  have  departed 
from  this  life  without  hearing  of  it,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  replied  : — 

“  Yes,  surely  !  since  sincere  prayer  always  has  its  effect,  and  it  has  a 
great  influence  in  the  other  world.  We  are  never  cut  off  from  those  who 
are  there.  The  real  and  genuine  influence  is  not  in  this  world  but  in 
that  other.” — Notes  of  Mary  Handford  Ford:  Paris ,  19 11. 

On  the  other  hand,  Baha’u’llah  writes  : — 

“  He  who  lives  according  to  what  was  ordained  for  him — the  Celestial 
Concourse,  and  the  people  of  the  Supreme  Paradise,  and  those  who  are 
dwelling  in  the  Dome  of  Greatness  will  pray  for  him,  by  a  Command 
from  God,  the  Dearest  and  the  Praiseworthy  ”  (Tablet  translated  by 
‘All  Qull  Khan). 


1 68  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


When  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  was  asked  how  it  was  that  the  heart 
often  turns  with  instinctive  appeal  to  some  friend  who  has  passed 
into  the  next  life,  he  answered  : — 

“  It  is  a  law  of  God’s  creation  that  the  weak  should  lean  upon  the 
strong.  Those  to  whom  you  turn  may  be  mediators  of  God’s  Power 
to  you,  even  as  when  on  earth,  but  it  is  the  One  Holy  Spirit  which 
strengthens  all  men.” — ‘Abdid l-Baha  in  London ,  p.  97. 

The  Non-existence  of  EviL 

According  to  the  Baha’i  philosophy  it  follows  from  the  doctrine 
of  the  unity  of  God  that  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  positive 
evil.  There  can  only  be  one  Infinite.  If  there  were  any 
other  power  in  the  universe  outside  of  or  opposed  to  the  One, 
then  the  One  would  not  be  infinite.  Just  as  darkness  is  but  the 
absence  or  lesser  degree  of  light,  so  evil  is  but  the  absence  or  lesser 
degree  of  good — the  undeveloped  state.  A  bad  man  is  a  man  with 
the  higher  side  of  his  nature  still  undeveloped.  If  he  is  selfish, 
the  evil  is  not  in  his  love  of  self — all  love,  even  self-love,  is  good, 
is  divine.  The  evil  is  that  he  has  such  a  poor,  inadequate,  misguided 
love  of  self  and  such  a  lack  of  love  for  others  and  for  God.  He 
looks  upon  himself  as  only  a  superior  sort  of  animal,  and  foolishly 
pampers  his  lower  nature  as  he  might  pamper  a  pet  dog — with 
worse  results  in  his  own  case  than  in  that  of  the  dog. 

In  one  of  his  letters  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  As  to  thy  remark,  that  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  hath  said  to  some  of  the  believers 
that  evil  never  exists,  nay  rather,  it  is  a  non-existent  thing,  this  is  but 
truth,  inasmuch  as  the  greatest  evil  is  man’s  going  astray  and  being  veiled 
from  truth.  Error  is  lack  of  guidance  ;  darkness  is  absence  of  light ; 
ignorance  is  lack  of  knowledge  ;  falsehood  is  lack  of  truthfulness  ;  blind¬ 
ness  is  lack  of  sight ;  and  deafness  is  lack  of  hearing.  Therefore,  error, 
blindness,  deafness  and  ignorance  are  non-existent  things.” 

Again  he  says  : — 

“  In  creation  there  is  no  evil ;  all  is  good.  Certain  qualities  and 
natures  innate  in  some  men  and  apparently  blameworthy  are  not  so  in 
reality.  For  example,  from  the  beginning  of  his  life  you  may  see  in  a 
nursing  child  the  signs  of  desire,  of  anger  and  of  temper.  Then  it  may 
be  said  that  good  and  evil  are  innate  in  the  reality  of  man,  and  this  is 
contrary  to  the  pure  goodness  of  nature  and  creation.  The  answer  is 
that  desire,  which  is  to  ask  for  something  more,  is  a  praiseworthy  quality 


VARIOUS  ORDINANCES  AND  TEACHINGS  169 

if  used  suitably.  If  a  man  has  the  desire  to  acquire  science  and  knowledge, 
or  to  become  compassionate,  generous  and  just,  it  is  most  praiseworthy. 
So  if  he  exercises  anger  and  wrath  against  the  bloodthirsty  tyrants  who 
are  like  ferocious  beasts  it  is  very  praiseworthy ;  but  if  he  does  not  use 
these  qualities  in  a  right  way,  it  is  blameworthy.  ...  It  is  the  same 
with  all  the  natural  qualities  of  man,  which  constitute  the  capital  of  life  ; 
if  they  be  used  and  displayed  in  an  unlawful  way,  they  become  blame¬ 
worthy.  Therefore  it  is  clear  that  creation  is  purely  good.” — Some 
Answered  Questions ,  p.  250. 

Evil  is  always  lack  of  life.  If  the  lower  side  of  man’s  nature 
is  disproportionately  developed,  the  remedy  is  not  less  life  for  that 
side,  but  more  life  for  the  higher  side,  so  that  the  balance  may  be 
restored.  “  I  am  come,”  said  Christ,  “  that  ye  may  have  life 
and  that  ye  may  have  it  more  abundantly.”  That  is  what  we  all 
need — life,  more  life,  the  life  that  is  life  indeed  !  Baha’u’llah’s 
message  is  the  same  as  Christ’s.  “  To-day,”  he  says,  “  this  servant 
has  assuredly  come  to  vivify  the  world  ”  ( Tablet  to  Rats\  and 
to  his  followers  he  says  :  “  Come,  that  we  may  make  you  the 
vivifiers  of  the  world  ”  ( Tablet  to  the  Pope). 


CHAPTER  XII 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


“  ‘All,  the  son-in-law  of  Muhammad,  said  :  ‘  That  which  is  in  conformity 
with  science  is  also  in  conformity  with  religion.’  Whatever  the  intelligence 
of  man  cannot  understand,  religion  ought  not  to  accept.  Religion  and  science 
walk  hand  in  hand,  and  any  religion  contrary  to  science  is  not  the  truth.” — 
‘Abdu’l-Baha,  in  Paris  Talks . 


Conflict  Due  to  Error. 

One  of  the  fundamental  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah  is  that  true 
science  and  true  religion  must  always  be  in  harmony.  Truth 
is  one,  and  whenever  conflict  appears  it  is  due,  not  to  truth,  but 
to  error.  Between  so-called  science  and  so-called  religion  there 
have  been  fierce  conflicts  all  down  the  ages,  but  looking  back  on 
these  conflicts  in  the  light  of  fuller  truth  we  can  trace  them  every 
time  to  ignorance,  prejudice,  vanity,  greed,  narrow-mindedness, 
intolerance,  obstinacy  or  something  of  the  kind — something  foreign 
to  the  true  spirit  of  both  science  and  religion,  for  the  spirit  of  both 
is  one.  As  Huxley  tells  us,  “  The  great  deeds  of  philosophers 
have  been  less  the  fruit  of  their  intellect  than  the  direction  of  that 
intellect  by  an  eminently  religious  tone  of  mind.  Truth  has 
yielded  herself  rather  to  their  patience,  their  love,  their  single- 
heartedness  and  self-denial  than  to  their  logical  acumen.”  Boole, 
the  mathematician,  assures  us  that  “  geometric  induction  is 
essentially  a  process  of  prayer — an  appeal  from  the  finite  mind  to 
the  Infinite  for  light  on  finite  concerns.”  The  great  prophets 
of  religion  and  science  have  never  denounced  each  other.  It 
is  the  unworthy  followers  of  these  great  world-teachers — wor¬ 
shippers  of  the  letter  but  not  of  the  spirit  of  their  teaching — who 
have  always  been  the  persecutors  of  the  later  prophets  and  the 

170 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


171 

bitterest  opponents  of  progress.  They  have  studied  the  light  of 
the  particular  revelation  which  they  hold  sacred,  and  have  defined 
its  properties  and  peculiarities  as  seen  by  their  limited  vision,  with 
the  utmost  care  and  precision.  That  is  for  them  the  one  true  light. 
If  God  in  His  infinite  bounty  sends  fuller  light  from  another 
quarter,  and  the  torch  of  inspiration  burns  brighter  than  before 
from  a  new  torch-holder,  instead  of  welcoming  the  new  light  and 
worshipping  with  renewed  gratitude  the  Father  of  all  lights  they 
are  angry  and  alarmed.  This  new  light  does  not  correspond 
with  their  definitions.  It  has  not  the  orthodox  colour,  and  does 
not  shine  from  the  orthodox  place,  therefore  it  must  at  all  costs 
be  extinguished  lest  it  lead  men  astray  into  the  paths  of  heresy  ! 
Many  enemies  of  the  prophets  are  of  this  type — blind  leaders  of 
the  blind,  who  oppose  new  and  fuller  truth  in  the  supposed  interests 
of  what  they  believe  to  be  the  truth.  Others  are  of  baser  sort  and 
are  moved  by  selfish  interests  to  fight  against  truth,  or  else  block 
the  path  of  progress  by  reason  of  spiritual  deadness  and  inertia. 

Persecution  of  Prophets. 

The  great  prophets  of  religion  have  always  been,  at  their  coming, 
despised  and  rejected  of  men.  Both  they  and  their  early  followers 
have  given  their  backs  to  the  smiters  and  sacrificed  their  possessions 
and  their  lives  in  the  path  of  God.  Even  in  our  own  times  this 
has  been  so.  Since  1844  a.d.,  many  thousands  of  the  Babls 
and  Baha’is  in  Persia  have  suffered  cruel  deaths  for  their  faith, 
and  many  more  have  borne  imprisonment,  exile,  poverty  and 
degradation.  The  latest  of  the  great  religions  has  been  “  baptized 
in  blood  ”  more  than  its  predecessors,  and  martyrdoms  have 
continued  down  to  the  last  decade.  With  the  prophets  of  science 
the  same  thing  has  happened.  Giordano  Bruno  was  burned  as 
a  heretic  in  1600  a.d.  for  teaching,  amongst  other  things,  that 
the  earth  moved  around  the  sun.  A  few  years  later  the  veteran 
philosopher  Galileo  had  to  abjure  the  same  doctrine  on  his  knees 
in  order  to  escape  a  similar  fate.  In  later  times,  Darwin  and  the 
pioneers  of  modern  geology  were  vehemently  denounced  for 
daring  to  dispute  the  teaching  of  Holy  Writ  that  the  world  was  made 
in  six  days,  and  less  than  six  thousand  years  ago  !  The  opposition 
to  new  scientific  truth  has  not  all  come  from  the  Church,  how- 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


172 

ever.  The  orthodox  in  science  have  been  just  as  hostile  to  progress 
as  the  orthodox  in  religion.  Columbus  was  laughed  to  scorn  by  the 
so-called  scientists  of  his  day,  who  proved  to  their  own  satisfaction 
that  if  ships  did  succeed  in  getting  down  to  the  Antipodes  over  the 
side  of  the  globe,  it  would  be  absolutely  impossible  for  them  to 
get  up  again  !  Galvani,  the  pioneer  of  electrical  science,  was 
scoffed  at  by  his  learned  colleagues,  and  called  the  “  frogs’  dancing 
master.”  Harvey,  who  discovered  the  circulation  of  the  blood, 
was  ridiculed  and  persecuted  by  his  professional  brethren  on  account 
of  his  heresy  and  driven  from  his  lecture  chair.  When  Stephenson 
invented  his  locomotive  engine,  European  mathematicians  of 
the  time,  instead  of  opening  their  eyes  and  studying  the  facts, 
continued  for  years  to  prove  to  their  own  satisfaction  that  an 
engine  on  smooth  rails  could  never  pull  a  load,  as  the  wheels 
would  simply  slip  round  and  the  train  make  no  progress.  To 
examples  like  these  one  might  add  indefinitely,  both  from  ancient 
and  modern  history,  and  even  from  our  own  times. 
Dr.  Zamenhof,  the  inventor  of  Esperanto,  had  to  battle  for 
his  wonderful  international  language  against  the  same  sort  of 
ridicule,  contempt,  and  stupid  opposition  which  greeted  Columbus, 
Galvani,  and  Stephenson.  Even  Esperanto,  which  was  given 
to  the  world  so  recently  as  1887,  has  had  its  martyrs. 

The  Dawn  of  Reconciliation. 

In  the  last  half  century  or  so,  however,  a  change  has  come  over 
the  spirit  of  the  times,  a  New  Light  of  Truth  has  arisen  which 
has  already  made  the  controversies  of  last  century  seem  strangely 
out  of  date.  Where  are  now  the  boastful  materialists  and  dogmatic 
atheists  who,  only  a  few  short  years  ago,  were  threatening  to  drive 
religion  out  of  the  world  ?  And  where  are  the  preachers  who  so 
confidently  consigned  those  who  did  not  accept  their  dogmas 
to  the  fires  of  hell  and  the  tortures  of  the  damned  ?  Echoes  of 
their  clamour  we  may  still  hear,  but  their  day  is  fast  declining  and 
their  doctrines  are  being  discredited.  We  can  see  now  that  the 
doctrines  around  which  their  controversies  waxed  most  bitter 
were  neither  true  science  nor  true  religion.  What  scientist  in 
the  light  of  modern  psychical  research  could  still  maintain  that 
“  brain  secretes  thought  as  the  liver  secretes  bile  ”  ?  Or  that 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


l73 

decay  of  the  body  is  necessarily  accompanied  by  decay  of  the  soul  ? 
We  now  see  that  thought  to  be  really  free  must  soar  to  the  realms 
of  psychical  and  spiritual  phenomena  and  not  be  confined  to  the 
material  only.  We  realize  that  what  we  now  know  about  nature 
is  but  as  a  drop  in  the  ocean  compared  with  what  remains  to  be 
discovered.  We  therefore  freely  admit  the  possibility  of  miracles, 
not  indeed  in  the  sense  of  the  breaking  of  nature’s  laws,  but  as 
manifestations  of  the  operation  of  subtle  forces  which  are  still 
unknown  to  us,  as  electricity  and  X-rays  were  to  our  ancestors. 
On  the  other  hand,  who  amongst  our  leading  religious  teachers 
would  still  declare  that  it  is  necessary  to  salvation  to  believe  that 
the  world  was  made  in  six  days,  or  that  the  description  of  the 
plagues  of  Egypt  as  given  in  the  Book  of  Exodus  is  literally  true, 
or  that  the  sun  stood  still  in  the  heavens  (i.e.  that  the  earth  stopped 
its  rotation)  to  let  Joshua  pursue  his  enemies,  or  that  if  a  man 
accept  not  the  creed  of  St.  Athanasius,  “  without  doubt  he  shall 
perish  everlastingly  ”  ?  Such  beliefs  may  still  be  repeated  in  form, 
but  who  accepts  them  in  their  literal  sense  and  without  reservation  ? 
Their  hold  on  people’s  hearts  and  minds  has  gone  or  is  fast  going. 
The  religious  world  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  men  of  science 
who  helped  to  tear  such  worn-out  creeds  and  dogmas  to  tatters  and 
allowed  the  truth  to  step  forth  free.  But  the  scientific  world 
owes  an  even  heavier  debt  to  the  real  saints  and  mystics  who, 
through  good  report  and  ill,  held  to  the  vital  truths  of  spiritual 
experience  and  demonstrated  to  an  incredulous  world  that  the 
life  is  more  than  meat  and  the  unseen  greater  than  the  seen. 
These  scientists  and  saints  were  like  the  mountain-peaks  which 
caught  the  first  rays  of  the  rising  sun  and  reflected  them  to  the 
lower  world,  but  now  the  sun  has  risen  and  its  rays  are  illuminating 
the  world.  In  the  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah  we  have  a  glorious 
revelation  of  truth  which  satisfies  both  heart  and  mind,  in  which 
religion  and  science  are  at  one. 

Search  after  Truth. 

Complete  harmony  with  science  is  evident  in  the  Baha’i 
teachings  regarding  the  way  in  which  we  must  seek  the  truth. 
Man  must  cut  himself  free  from  all  prejudice  so  that  he  may 
search  after  truth  unhindered. 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


174 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  In  order  to  find  truth  we  must  give  up  our  prejudices,  our  own  small 
trivial  notions ;  an  open  receptive  mind  is  essential.  If  our  chalice 
is  full  of  self,  there  is  no  room  in  it  for  the  water  of  life.  The  fact  that 
we  imagine  ourselves  to  be  right  and  everybody  else  wrong  is  the  greatest 
of  all  obstacles  in  the  path  towards  unity,  and  unity  is  essential  if  we 
would  reach  Truth,  for  Truth  is  one.  .  .  . 

“  No  one  truth  can  contradict  another  truth.  Light  is  good  in  what¬ 
soever  lamp  it  is  burning  !  A  rose  is  beautiful  in  whatsoever  garden 
it  may  bloom  !  A  star  has  the  same  radiance  if  it  shines  from  the  East 
or  from  the  West  !  Be  free  from  prejudice  ;  so  will  you  love  the  Sun 
of  Truth  from  whatever  point  in  the  horizon  it  may  arise.  You  will 
realize  that  if  the  Divine  Light  of  Truth  shone  in  Jesus  Christ,  it 
also  shone  in  Moses  and  Buddha.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  the  search 
after  truth. 

“  It  also  means  that  we  must  be  willing  to  clear  away  all  that  we  have 
previously  learned,  all  that  would  clog  our  steps  on  the  way  to  Truth  ; 
we  must  not  shrink,  if  necessary,  from  beginning  our  education  all  over 
again.  We  must  not  allow  our  love  for  any  one  religion  or  any  one 
personality  so  to  blind  our  eyes  that  we  become  fettered  by  superstition. 
When  we  are  freed  from  all  these  bonds,  seeking  with  liberated  minds, 
then  shall  we  be  able  to  arrive  at  our  goal.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  126. 

True  Agnosticism. 

The  Baha’i  teaching  is  at  one  with  science  and  philosophy 
in  declaring  the  essential  nature  of  God  to  be  entirely  beyond 
human  comprehension.  As  emphatically  as  Huxley  and  Spencer 
teach  that  the  nature  of  the  Great  First  Cause  is  unknowable, 
does  Baha’u’llah  teach  that  “  God  comprehends  all  ;  he  cannot 
be  comprehended.”  To  knowledge  of  the  Divine  essence 
“  the  way  is  barred  and  the  road  is  impassable,”  for  how  can  the 
finite  comprehend  the  Infinite;  how  can  a  drop  contain  the  ocean 
or  a  mote  dancing  in  the  sunbeam  embrace  the  universe  ?  Yet 
the  whole  universe  is  eloquent  of  God.  In  each  drop  of  water 
are  hidden  oceans  of  meaning,  and  in  each  mote  is  concealed  a 
whole  universe  of  significances,  reaching  far  beyond  the  ken  of 
the  most  learned  scientist.  The  chemist  and  physicist  pursuing 
their  researches  into  the  nature  of  matter,  have  passed  from  masses 
to  molecules,  from  molecules  to  atoms,  from  atoms  to  electrons 
and  ether,  but  at  every  step  the  difficulties  of  the  research  increase 
till  the  most  profound  intellect  can  penetrate  no  further,  and  can 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


J75 


but  bow  in  silent  awe  before  the  unknown  Infinite  which  remains 
ever  shrouded  in  inscrutable  mystery. 

“  Flower  in  the  crannied  wall, 

I  pluck  you  out  of  the  crannies. 

I  hold  you  here,  root  and  all  in  my  hand, 

Little  flower,  but  if  I  could  understand 
What  you  are,  root  and  all,  and  all  in  all, 

I  should  know  what  God  and  man  is.” — Tennyson. 

If  the  flower  in  the  crannied  wall,  if  even  a  single  atom  of 
matter,  presents  mysteries  which  the  most  profound  intellect  cannot 
solve,  how  is  it  possible  for  man  to  comprehend  the  universe  ? 
How  dare  he  pretend  to  define  or  describe  the  Infinite  cause  of 
all  things  ?  All  theological  speculations  about  the  nature  of  God’s 
essence  are  thus  swept  aside  as  foolish  and  futile. 

Knowledge  of  God. 

But  if  the  essence  is  unknowable,  the  manifestations  of  its 
bounty  are  everywhere  apparent.  If  the  first  cause  cannot  be 
conceived,  its  effects  appeal  to  our  every  faculty.  Just  as 
knowledge  of  a  painter’s  pictures  gives  to  the  connoisseur  a  true 
knowledge  of  the  artist,  so  knowledge  of  the  universe  in  any 
of  its  aspects — knowledge  of  nature  or  of  human  nature,  of  things 
visible  or  of  things  invisible — is  knowledge  of  God’s  handiwork, 
and  gives  to  the  seeker  for  Divine  truth  a  real  knowledge  of 
His  Glory. 

“  The  heavens  declare  the  Glory  of  God  ;  and  the  firmament  showeth 
His  handiwork.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech  and  night  unto  night 
showeth  knowledge.” — Ps.  xix. 

The  Divine  Manifestations. 

All  things  manifest  the  bounty  of  God  with  greater  or  less 
clearness,  as  all  material  objects  exposed  to  the  sun  reflect  its  light 
in  greater  or  less  degree.  A  heap  of  soot  reflects  a  little,  a  stone 
reflects  more,  a  piece  of  chalk  more  still,  but  in  none  of  these 
reflections  can  we  trace  the  form  and  colour  of  the  glorious  orb. 
A  perfect  mirror,  however,  reflects  the  sun’s  very  form  and  colour, 
so  that  looking  into  it  is  like  looking  at  the  sun  itself.  So  it  is 


176  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

with  the  way  in  which  things  speak  to  us  of  God.  The  stone 
can  tell  us  something  of  the  Divine  attributes,  the  flower  can  tell 
us  more,  the  animal  with  its  marvellous  senses,  instincts  and 
power  of  movement,  more  still.  In  the  lowest  of  our  fellow- 
men  we  can  trace  wonderful  faculties  which  tell  of  a  wonderful 
Creator.  In  the  poet,  the  saint,  the  genius,  we  find  a  higher 
revelation  still,  but  the  great  prophets  and  founders  of  religions 
are  the  perfect  mirrors  by  which  the  love  and  wisdom  of  God  are 
reflected  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  Other  men’s  mirrors  are  dulled 
by  the  stains  and  the  dust  of  selfishness  and  prejudice,  but  these 
are  pure  and  without  blemish — wholly  devoted  to  the  Will  of 
God.  Thus  they  become  the  greatest  educators  of  mankind. 
The  Divine  teachings  and  the  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeding 
through  them  have  been  and  are  the  cause  of  the  progress  of 
humanity,  for  God  helps  men  through  other  men.  Each  man 
who  is  higher  in  the  ascent  of  life  is  the  means  of  helping  those 
who  are  lower,  and  those  who  are  the  highest  of  all  are  the  helpers 
of  all  mankind.  It  is  as  if  all  men  were  connected  together  by 
elastic  cords.  If  a  man  rises  a  little  above  the  general  level  of  his 
fellows,  the  cords  tighten.  His  former  companions  tend  to 
draw  him  back,  but  with  an  equal  force  he  draws  them 
upwards.  The  higher  he  gets,  the  more  he  feels  the  weight  of 
the  whole  world  pulling  him  back,  and  the  more  dependent  he  is 
on  the  divine  support,  which  reaches  him  through  the  few  who 
are  still  above  him.  Highest  of  all  are  the  great  Prophets  and 
Saviours,  the  Divine  “  Manifestations  ” — those  perfect  men 
who  were  each,  in  their  day,  without  peer  or  companion,  and  bore 
the  burden  of  the  whole  world,  supported  by  God  alone.  “  The 
burden  of  our  sins  was  upon  Him  ”  was  true  of  each  of  them. 
Each  was  the  “  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life  ”  to  His  followers. 
Each  was  the  channel  of  God’s  bounty  to  every  heart  that  would 
receive  it.  Each  had  his  part  to  play  in  the  great  divine  plan  for 
the  upliftment  of  humanity. 

Creation. 

Baha’u’llah  teaches  that  the  universe  is  without  beginning  in 
time.  It  is  a  perpetual  emanation  from  the  Great  First  Cause. 
The  Creator  always  had  His  creation  and  always  will  have. 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


l77 

Worlds  and  systems  may  come  and  go,  but  the  universe  remains. 
All  things  that  undergo  composition,  in  time  undergo  decomposi¬ 
tion,  but  the  component  elements  remain.  The  creation  of  a 
world,  a  daisy  or  a  human  body  is  not  “  making  something  out  of 
nothing,”  it  is  rather  a  bringing  together  of  elements  which  before 
were  scattered,  a  making  visible  of  something  which  before  was 
hidden.  By  and  by  the  elements  will  again  be  scattered,  the 
form  will  disappear,  but  nothing  is  really  lost  or  annihilated;  ever 
new  combinations  and  forms  arise  from  the  ruins  of  the  old. 
Baha’u’llah  confirms  the  scientists  who  claim,  not  six  thousand, 
but  millions  and  billions  of  years  for  the  history  of  the  earth’s 
creation.  The  evolution  theory  does  not  deny  creative  power. 
It  only  tries  to  describe  the  method  of  its  manifestation,  and  the 
wonderful  story  of  the  material  universe  which  the  astronomer, 
the  geologist,  the  physicist  and  the  biologist  are  gradually 
unfolding  to  our  gaze  is,  rightly  appreciated,  far  more  capable  of 
evoking  the  deepest  reverence  and  worship  than  the  crude  and  bald 
account  of  creation  given  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  The  old 
account  in  the  Book  of  Genesis  had,  however,  the  advantage  of 
indicating  by  a  few  bold  strokes  of  symbolism  the  essential  spiritual 
meanings  of  the  story,  as  a  master  painter  may,  by  a  few  strokes  of 
the  brush,  convey  expressions  which  the  mere  plodder  with  the 
most  laborious  attention  to  details  may  utterly  fail  to  portray. 
If  the  material  details  blind  us  to  the  spiritual  meaning  then  we 
should  be  better  without  them,  but  if  we  have  once  firmly  grasped 
the  essential  meaning  of  the  whole  scheme,  then  knowledge  of 
the  details  will  give  our  conception  a  wonderful  added  richness 
and  splendour  and  make  it  a  magnificent  picture  instead  of  a  mere 
sketch  plan. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Know  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  abstruse  spiritual  truths  that  the  world 
of  existence,  that  is  to  say,  this  endless  universe,  has  no  beginning.  .  .  . 
Know  that  a  Creator  without  a  creature  is  impossible,  a  provider  without 
those  provided  for  cannot  be  conceived  ;  for  all  the  divine  names  and 
attributes  demand  the  existence  of  beings.  If  we  could  imagine  a  time 
when  no  being  existed,  this  imagination  would  be  the  denial  of  the  Divinity 
of  God.  Moreover,  absolute  non-existence  cannot  become  existence. 
If  the  beings  were  absolutely  non-existent,  existence  would  not  have 
come  into  being.  Therefore,  as  the  Essence  of  Unity,  that  is,  the  existence 

12 


178  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

of  God,  is  everlasting  and  eternal  and  has  neither  beginning  nor  end,  it  is 
certain  that  this  world  of  existence  has  also  neither  beginning  nor  end. 
Yes,  it  may  be  that  one  of  the  parts  of  the  universe,  one  of  the  globes, 
for  example,  may  come  into  existence,  or  may  be  disintegrated,  but  the 
other  globes  are  still  existing.  As  each  globe  has  a  beginning,  necessarily 
it  has  an  end,  because  every  composition,  collective  or  particular,  must 
of  necessity  become  decomposed  ;  the  only  difference  is  that  some  are 
quickly  decomposed  and  others  more  slowly,  but  it  is  impossible  that  a 
composed  thing  should  not  eventually  be  decomposed.” — Some  Answered 
Questions ,  p.  209. 

The  Descent  of  Man. 

Baha’u’llah  also  confirms  the  biologist  who  finds  for  the  body 
of  man  a  history  reaching  back  in  the  development  of  the  species 
through  millions  of  years.  Starting  from  a  very  simple,  apparently 
insignificant  form,  the  human  body  is  pictured  as  developing 
stage  by  stage,  in  the  course  of  untold  generations,  becoming  more 
and  more  complex,  and  better  and  better  organized  until  the  man 
of  the  present  day  is  reached.  Each  individual  human  body 
develops  through  such  a  series  of  stages,  from  a  tiny  round  speck 
of  jelly-like  matter  to  the  fully  developed  man.  If  this  is  true  of 
the  individual,  as  nobody  denies,  why  should  we  consider  it 
derogatory  to  human  dignity  to  admit  a  similar  development  for 
the  species  ?  This  is  a  very  different  thing  from  claiming  that  man 
is  descended  from  a  monkey.  The  human  embryo  may  at  one  time 
resemble  a  fish  with  gill-slits  and  tail,  but  it  is  not  a  fish.  It  is 
a  human  embryo.  So  the  human  species  may  at  various  stages 
of  its  long  development  have  resembled  to  the  outward  eye  various 
species  of  lower  animals,  but  it  was  still  the  human  species,  possessing 
the  mysterious  latent  power  of  developing  into  man  as  we  know 
him  to-day,  nay,  more,  of  developing  in  the  future,  we  trust, 
into  something  far  higher  still. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — • 

• 

“  It  is  clear  that  this  terrestrial  globe  in  its  present  form  did  not  come 
into  existence  all  at  once,  but  gradually  passed  through  different  phases 
until  it  became  adorned  with  its  present  perfection.  .  .  .  Man  in  the 
beginning  of  his  existence  and  in  the  womb  of  the  earth,  like  the  embryo 
in  the  womb  of  the  mother,  gradually  grew  and  developed,  and  passed 
from  one  form  to  another,  until  he  appeared  with  this  beauty  and  per¬ 
fection,  this  force  and  this  power.  It  is  certain  that  in  the  beginning 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


179 

he  had  not  this  loveliness  and  grace  and  elegance,  and  that  he  only  by 
degrees  attained  this  shape,  this  form,  this  beauty  and  this  grace.  .  .  . 
Man’s  existence  on  this  earth,  from  the  beginning  until  it  reaches  this 
stage,  form  and  condition,  necessarily  lasts  a  long  time  .  .  .  but  from 
the  beginning  of  man’s  existence  he  is  a  distinct  species.  .  .  .  Admitting 
that  the  traces  of  organs  which  have  disappeared  actually  exist  (in  the 
human  body),  this  is  not  a  proof  of  the  impermanence  and  the  non-origi¬ 
nality  of  the  species.  At  the  most  it  proves  that  the  form  and  fashion  and 
the  organs  of  man  have  progressed.  Man  was  always  a  distinct  species, 
a  man,  not  an  animal.” — Some  Answered  Questions ,  pp.  21 1-2 14. 

Of  the  story  of  Adam  and  Eve  he  says  : — 

“  If  we  take  this  story  in  its  apparent  meaning,  according  to  the  inter¬ 
pretation  of  the  masses,  it  is  indeed  extraordinary.  The  intelligence 
cannot  accept  it,  affirm  it,  or  imagine  it ;  for  such  arrangements,  such 
details,  such  speeches  and  reproaches  are  far  from  being  those  of  an  intelli¬ 
gent  man,  how  much  less  of  the  Divinity — that  Divinity  who  has  organized 
this  infinite  universe  in  the  most  perfect  form,  and  its  innumerable  inhabi¬ 
tants  with  absolute  system,  strength  and  perfection.  .  .  . 

“  Therefore  the  story  of  Adam  and  Eve  who  ate  from  the  tree,  and 
their  expulsion  from  Paradise,  must  be  thought  of  simply  as  a  symbol. 
It  contains  divine  mysteries  and  universal  meanings,  and  it  is  capable 
of  marvellous  explanations.” — Some  Answered  Questions ,  p.  140. 

Body  and  Soul. 

The  Baha’i  teachings  with  regard  to  body  and  soul,  and  the 
life  after  death,  are  quite  in  harmony  with  the  results  of  psychical 
research.  They  teach,  as  we  have  seen,  that  death  is  but  a  new 
birth — the  escape  from  the  prison  of  the  body  into  a  larger  life, 
and  that  progress  in  the  after-life  is  limitless. 

A  large  body  of  scientific  evidence  has  gradually  been 
accumulating  which  in  the  opinion  of  impartial  but  highly  critical 
investigators  is  amply  sufficient  to  establish  beyond  all  question 
the  fact  of  a  life  after  death — of  the  continued  life  and  activity 
of  the  conscious  “  soul  ”  after  the  dissolution  of  the  material 
body.  As  F.  W.  H.  Myers  says  in  his  Human  Personality ,  a 
work  which  summarizes  many  of  the  investigations  of  the  Psychical 
Research  Society  : — 

“  Observation,  experiment,  inference,  have  led  many  enquirers,  of 
whom  I  am  one,  to  a  belief  in  direct  or  telepathic  intercommunication, 
not  between  the  minds  of  men  still  on  earth  only,  but  between  minds  or 


180  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

spirits  still  on  earth  and  spirits  departed.  Such  a  discovery  opens  the 
door  also  to  revelation.  .  .  . 

“We  have  shown  that  amid  much  deception  and  self-deception,  fraud 
and  illusion,  veritable  manifestations  do  reach  us  from  beyond  the 
grave.  .  .  . 

“  By  discovery  and  by  revelation  certain  theses  have  been  provision¬ 
ally  established  with  regard  to  such  departed  souls  as  we  have  been  able 
to  encounter.  First  and  chiefly,  I,  at  least,  see  ground  to  believe  that 
their  state  is  one  of  endless  evolution  in  wisdom  and  in  love.  Their 
loves  of  earth  persist,  and  most  of  all,  those  highest  loves  which  find 
their  outlet  in  adoration  and  worship.  .  .  .  Evil  to  them  seems  less 
a  terrible  than  a  slavish  thing.  It  is  embodied  in  no  mighty  Potentate  ; 
rather  it  forms  an  isolating  madness  from  which  higher  spirits  strive 
to  free  the  distorted  soul.  There  needs  no  chastisement  of  fire  ;  self- 
knowledge  is  man’s  punishment  and  his  reward  ;  self-knowledge  and 
the  nearness  or  the  aloofness  of  companion  souls.  For  in  that  world 
love  is  actually  self-preservation  ;  the  Communion  of  Saints  not  only 
adorns  but  constitutes  the  Life  Everlasting.  Nay,  from  the  laws  of 
telepathy  it  follows  that  that  communion  is  valid  to  us  here  and  now. 
Even  now  the  love  of  souls  departed  makes  answer  to  our  invocations. 
Even  now  our  loving  memory — love  is  itself  a  prayer — supports  and 
strengthens  those  delivered  spirits  upon  their  upward  way.” 

The  measure  of  agreement  between  this  view,  which  is  founded 
on  careful  scientific  research,  and  that  of  the  Baha’i  teachings, 
is  truly  remarkable. 

Unity  of  Mankind. 

“Ye  are  all  fruits  of  one  tree,  the  leaves  of  one  branch,  the 
flowers  of  one  garden.”  That  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic 
sayings  of  Baha’u’llah,  and  another  is  like  it  :  “  Glory  is  not  his 
who  loves  his  own  country,  but  glory  is  his  who  loves  his  kind.” 
Unity — unity  of  mankind,  and  of  all  created  beings  in  God — 
is  the  main  theme  of  his  teaching.  Here  again  the  harmony 
between  true  religion  and  science  is  evident.  With  every  advance 
in  science  the  oneness  of  the  universe  and  the  inter-dependence 
of  its  parts  has  become  more  dearly  evident.  The  astronomer’s 
domain  is  inseparably  bound  up  with  the  physicist’s,  and  the 
physicist’s  with  the  chemist’s,  the  chemist’s  with  the  biologist’s, 
the  biologist’s  with  the  psychologist’s,  and  so  on.  Every  new 
discovery  in  one  field  of  research  throws  new  light  on  other  fields 
Just  as  physical  science  has  shown  that  every  particle  of  matter 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 


1 8 1 


in  the  universe  attracts  and  influences  every  other  particle,  no 
matter  how  minute  or  how  distant,  so  psychical  science  is  finding 
that  every  soul  in  the  universe  affects  and  influences  every  other 
soul.  Prince  Kropotkin,  in  his  book  on  Mutual  Aid ,  shows  most 
clearly  that  even  among  the  lower  animals,  mutual  aid  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  continued  life,  while  in  the  case  of  man,  the  progress 
of  civilization  depends  on  the  increasing  substitution  of  mutual 
aid  for  mutual  enmity.  “  Each  for  all  and  all  for  each  ”  is  the 
only  principle  on  which  a  community  can  prosper. 

The  Era  of  Unity. 

All  the  signs  of  the  times  indicate  that  we  are  at  the  dawn 
of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  mankind.  Hitherto  the  young  eagle 
of  humanity  has  clung  to  the  old  eyrie  in  the  solid  rock  of  selfishness 
and  materialism.  Its  attempts  to  use  its  wings  have  been  timid 
and  tentative.  It  has  had  restless  longings  for  something  still 
unattained.  More  and  more  it  has  been  chafing  in  the  confine¬ 
ment  of  the  old  dogmas  and  orthodoxies.  But  now  the  era  of 
confinement  is  at  an  end,  and  it  can  launch  on  the  wings  of 
faith  and  reason  into  the  higher  realms  of  spiritual  love  and  truth. 
It  will  no  longer  be  earth-bound  as  it  was  before  its  wings  had 
grown,  but  will  soar  at  will  to  the  regions  of  wide  outlook  and 
glorious  freedom.  One  thing  is  necessary,  however,  if  its  flight 
is  to  be  sure  and  steady.  It  wings  must  not  only  be  strong, 
but  they  must  act  in  perfect  harmony  and  co-ordination.  As 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  It  cannot  fly  with  one  wing  alone.  If  it  tries  to  fly  with  the  wing 
of  religion  alone  it  will  land  in  the  slough  of  superstition,  and  if  it  tries 
to  fly  with  the  wing  of  science  alone  it  will  end  in  the  dreary  bog  of 
materialism.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  132. 

Perfect  harmony  between  religion  and  science  is  the  sine  qua 
non  of  the  higher  life  for  humanity.  When  that  is  achieved, 
and  every  child  is  trained  not  only  in  the  study  of  the  sciences  and 
arts,  but  equally  in  love  to  all  mankind  and  in  radiant  acquiescence 
to  the  Will  of  God  as  revealed  in  the  progress  of  evolution  and 
the  teachings  of  the  prophets,  then  and  not  till  then,  shall  the 
Kingdom  of  God  come  and  His  Will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 


i82  RAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


Heaven  ;  then  and  not  till  then  shall  the  Most  Great  Peace 
shed  its  blessings  on  the  world. 

“  When  religion,”  says  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  “  shorn  of  its  superstitions, 
traditions  and  unintelligent  dogmas,  shows  its  conformity  with  science, 
then  there  will  be  a  great  unifying,  cleansing  force  in  the  world,  which 
will  sweep  before  it  all  wars,  disagreements,  discords  and  struggles,  and 
then  will  mankind  be  united  in  the  power  of  the  love  of  God.” — Paris 
Talks ,  p.  135. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED  BY  THE  BAHA’I 

MOVEMENT 

"  As  to  the  Manifestation  of  the  Greatest  Name  (Baha’u’llah)  :  This  is  He 
whom  God  promised  in  all  His  Books  and  Scriptures,  such  as  the  Bible,  the 
Gospels  and  the  Qur’an.” — ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 


Interpretation  of  Prophecy. 

The  interpretation  of  prophecy  is  notoriously  difficult,  and  on 
no  subject  do  the  opinions  of  the  learned  differ  more  widely. 
This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for,  according  to  the  revealed 
writings  themselves,  many  of  the  prophecies  were  given  in  such  a 
form  that  they  could  not  be  fully  understood  until  the  fulfilment 
came,  and  even  then,  only  by  those  who  were  pure  in  heart  and 
free  from  prejudice.  Thus  at  the  end  of  Daniel’s  visions  the  seer 
was  told  : — 

“  But  thou,  O  Daniel,  shut  up  the  words  and  seal  the  book,  even  to 
the  time  of  the  end  :  many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be 
increased  .  .  .  and  I  heard,  but  I  understood  not :  then  said  I,  *  O  my 
Lord,  what  shall  be  the  end  of  these  things  ?  ’  and  he  said,  4  Go  thy 
way,  Daniel,  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  end  of  the 
time.’  ” — Daniel  xii.  4-10. 

If  God  sealed  up  the  prophecies  until  the  appointed  time,  and 
did  not  fully  reveal  the  interpretation  even  to  the  prophets  who 
uttered  them,  we  may  expect  that  none  but  the  appointed  Messenger 
of  God  will  be  able  to  break  the  seal  and  disclose  the  meanings 
concealed  in  the  casket  of  the  prophetic  parables.  Reflection 
on  the  history  of  prophecies  and  their  misinterpretation  in  previous 

183 


184  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

ages  and  dispensations,  combined  with  the  solemn  warnings  of 
the  prophets  themselves,  should  render  us  very  chary  of  accepting 
the  speculations  of  theologians  as  to  the  real  meaning  of  these 
utterances  and  the  manner  of  their  fulfilment.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  someone  appears  who  claims  to  fulfil  the  prophecies,  it  is 
important  that  we  examine  his  claim  with  open,  unprejudiced 
minds.  Should  he  be  an  impostor,  the  fraud  will  soon  be  discovered 
and  no  harm  will  be  done,  but  woe  to  all  who  carelessly  turn 
God’s  Messenger  from  the  door  because  He  comes  in  an  unexpected 
form  or  time. 

The  life  and  utterances  of  Baha’u’llah  testify  that  he  is  the 
Promised  One  of  all  the  Holy  Books,  who  has  power  to  break 
the  seals  of  the  prophecies  and  to  pour  forth  the  “  Sealed  choice 
wine  ”  of  the  divine  mysteries.  Let  us  hasten,  then,  to  hear  his 
explanations  and  to  re-examine  in  their  light  the  familiar  but 
often  mysterious  words  spoken  by  the  prophets  of  old. 

The  Coming  of  the  Lord. 

The  “  Coming  of  the  Lord  ”  in  the  “  last  days  ”  is  the  one 
“  far-off  divine  event  ”  to  which  all  the  prophets  look  forward, 
about  which  their  most  glorious  songs  are  sung.  Now  what  is 
meant  by  the  “  Coming  of  the  Lord  ”  ?  Surely  God  is  at  all 
times  with  His  creatures,  in  all,  through  all,  and  over  all  ;  “  Closer 
is  He  than  breathing,  nearer  than  hands  and  feet.”  Yes,  but  men 
cannot  see  or  hear  God  immanent  and  transcendent,  cannot  realize 
His  Presence,  until  He  reveals  Himself  through  a  visible  form  and 
talks  to  them  in  human  language.  For  the  revelation  of  His 
higher  attributes,  God  has  always  made  use  of  a  human  instru¬ 
ment.  Each  of  the  prophets  was  a  mediator  through  whom  God 
visited  and  spoke  to  His  people.  Jesus  was  such  a  mediator,  and 
the  Christians  have  rightly  regarded  His  appearance  as  a  coming 
of  God.  In  Him  they  saw  the  Face  of  God  and  through  His 
lips  they  heard  the  Voice  of  God.  Baha’u’llah  tells  us  that  the 
“Coming”  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the 
Maker  and  Redeemer  of  the  world,  which,  according  to  all  the 
prophets,  is  to  take  place  at  “  the  time  of  the  end,”  means  no 
other  than  His  manifestation  in  a  human  temple,  as  He  manifested 
through  the  temple  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  only  this  time  with  a 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED  185 

fuller  and  more  glorious  revelation,  for  which  Jesus  and  all  the 
former  prophets  came  to  prepare  men’s  hearts  and  minds. 

Prophecies  about  Christ. 

Through  failing  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the  prophecies 
about  the  dominion  of  the  Messiah,  the  Jews  rejected  Christ. 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  The  Jews  still  await  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  pray  to  God 
day  and  night  to  hasten  His  advent.  When  Jesus  came  they  denounced 
and  slew  Him,  saying  :  ‘  This  is  not  the  One  for  whom  we  wait.  Behold 
when  the  Messiah  shall  come,  signs  and  wonders  shall  testify  that  He 
is  in  truth  the  Christ.  The  Messiah  will  arise  out  of  an  unknown  city. 
He  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  behold  He  shall  come  with  a 
sword  of  steel,  and  with  a  sceptre  of  iron  shall  he  rule.  He  shall  fulfil 
the  Law  of  the  Prophets.  He  shall  conquer  the  East  and  the  West, 
and  shall  glorify  His  chosen  people  the  Jews.  He  shall  bring  with  Him 
a  reign  of  Peace  during  which  even  the  animals  shall  cease  to  be  at  enmity 
with  man.  For  behold  the  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  drink  from  the  same 
spring,  and  all  God’s  creatures  shall  be  at  rest.  .  .  .’ 

“  Thus  the  Jews  thought  and  spoke,  for  they  did  not  understand  the 
Scriptures  nor  the  glorious  truths  that  were  contained  in  them.  The 
letter  they  knew  by  heart,  but  of  the  life-giving  Spirit  they  understood 
not  a  word. 

“  Hearken,  and  I  will  show  you  the  meaning  thereof :  Although 
Christ  came  from  Nazareth,  which  was  a  known  place.  He  came  also 
from  Heaven.  His  body  was  bom  of  Mary,  but  His  Spirit  came  from 
Heaven.  The  sword  He  carried  was  the  sword  of  His  tongue,  with 
which  He  divided  the  good  from  the  evil,  the  true  from  the  false,  the 
faithful  from  the  unfaithful,  and  the  light  from  the  darkness.  His  Word 
was  indeed  a  sharp  sword  !  The  throne  upon  which  He  sat  is  the 
Eternal  Throne  from  which  Christ  reigns  for  ever,  a  heavenly  throne, 
not  an  earthly  one,  for  the  things  of  earth  pass  away  but  heavenly  things 
pass  not  away.  He  re-interpreted  and  completed  the  Law  of  Moses 
and  fulfilled  the  Law  of  the  Prophets.  His  Word  conquered  the  East 
and  the  West.  His  Kingdom  is  Everlasting.  He  exalted  those  Jews 
who  recognized  Him.  They  were  men  and  women  of  humble  birth, 
but  contact  with  Him  made  them  great  and  gave  them  everlasting  dignity. 
The  animals  who  were  to  live  with  one  another  signified  the  different 
sects  and  races,  who,  once  having  been  at  war,  were  now  to  dwell  in  love 
and  charity,  drinking  together  the  Water  of  Life  from  Christ  the  Eternal 
Spring.” — Paris  Talks ,  p.  48. 

Most  Christians  accept  these  interpretations  of  the  Messianic 


1 86  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


prophecies  as  applied  to  Christ  ;  but  with  regard  to  similar 
prophecies  about  the  latter-day  Messiah,  many  of  them  take  up 
the  same  attitude  as  the  Jews,  expecting  a  miraculous  display 
on  the  material  plane  which  will  fulfil  the  very  letter  of 
the  prophecies. 


Prophecies  about  the  Bab  and  Baha’u’llah. 

According  to  the  Baha’i  interpretation,  the  prophecies  which 
speak  of  “the  time  of  the  end,”  the  “last  days,”  the  coming  of 
the  “  Lord  of  Hosts,”  of  the  “  Everlasting  Father,”  refer  especially, 
not  to  the  advent  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  to  that  of  Baha’u’llah. 
Take  for  instance,  the  well-known  prophecy  in  Isaiah  : — 

“  The  people  that  walked  in  darkness  have  seen  a  great  light ;  they 
that  dwell  in  the  land  of  the  shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the  light 
shined.  .  .  .  For  thou  hast  broken  the  yoke  of  his  burden,  and  the  staff 
of  his  shoulder,  the  rod  of  his  oppressor,  as  in  the  day  of  Midian.  For 
every  battle  of  the  warrior  is  wTith  confused  noise  and  garments  rolled 
in  blood  ;  but  this  shall  be  with  burning  and  fuel  of  fire.  For  unto  us 
a  child  is  bom,  unto  us  a  son  is  given  :  and  the  government  shall  be  upon 
his  shoulder  :  and  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor, 
the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the 
increase  of  His  government  and  of  peace  there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the 
throne  of  David,  and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to  establish  it 
with  judgment  and  with  justice  from  henceforth  even  for  ever.  The  zeal 
of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  will  perform  this.” — Isa.  ix.  2-7. 

This  is  one  of  the  prophecies  that  has  often  been  regarded  as 
referring  to  Christ,  and  much  of  it  may  quite  fairly  be  thus  applied, 
but  a  little  examination  will  show  how  much  more  fully  and  aptly 
it  applies  to  Baha’u’llah.  Christ  has,  indeed,  been  a  light-bringer 
and  Saviour,  but  for  nearly  two  thousand  years  since  His  advent 
the  great  majority  of  the  people  of  the  earth  have  continued  to 
walk  in  darkness,  and  the  children  of  Israel  and  many  others  of 
God’s  children  have  continued  to  groan  under  the  rod  of  the 
oppressor.  On  the  other  hand,  during  the  first  few  decades  of 
the  Baha’i  era,  the  light  of  truth  has  illumined  the  east  and  the 
west,  the  gospel  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood 
of  man  has  been  carried  into  all  countries  of  the  world,  the  great 
military  autocracies  have  been  overthrown,  and  a  League  of 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED  187 

Nations  has  been  born  which  brings  hope  of  speedy  relief  to  all 
the  downtrodden  and  oppressed  nationalities  of  the  world.  The 
great  war  which  has  just  convulsed  the  world,  with  its 
unprecedented  use  of  lire-arms,  liquid  fire,  incendiary  bombs 
and  fuel  for  engines,  has  indeed  been  “  with  burning  and  fuel  of 
fire.  ’  Baha’u’llah,  by  dealing  at  great  length  in  his  writings 
with  questions  of  government  and  administration,  and  showing 
how  they  may  best  be  solved,  has  u  taken  the  government  upon 
his  shoulders  ”  in  a  way  that  Christ  never  did.  With  regard  to 
the  titles  “  Everlasting  Father,”  “  Prince  of  Peace,”  Baha’u’llah 
repeatedly  refers  to  himself  as  the  manifestation  of  the  Father, 
of  whom  Christ  and  Isaiah  spoke,  whereas  Christ  always  referred 
to  himself  as  the  Son  ;  and  Baha’u’llah  declares  that  his  mission 
is  to  establish  peace  on  earth,  while  Christ  said  :  “  I  came  not  to 
send  peace  but  a  sword,”  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  during  the  whole 
of  the  Christian  era  wars  and  sectarian  strifes  have  abounded. 


The  Glory  of  God. 

The  title  “  Baha’u’llah  ”  is  the  Arabic  for  “  Glory  of  God,” 
and  this  very  title  is  frequently  used  by  the  Hebrew  prophets 
for  the  Promised  One  who  is  to  appear  in  the  last  days;  Thus 
in  the  40th  chapter  of  Isaiah  we  read  : — 

“  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your  God.  Speak  ye 
comfortably  to  Jerusalem,  and  cry  unto  her  that  her  warfare  is  accom¬ 
plished,  that  her  iniquity  is  pardoned  ;  for  she  hath  received  of  the  Lord’s 
hand  double  for  all  her  sins.  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway 
for  our  God.  Every  valley  shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill 
be  made  low  :  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight  and  the  rough 
places  plain  :  and  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh 
shall  see  it  together.” 

Like  the  former  prophecy,  this  has  also  been  partly  fulfilled 
in  the  advent  of  Christ  and  His  forerunner,  John  the  Baptist  ; 
but  only  partly,  for  in  the  days  of  Christ  the  warfare  of  Jerusalem 
was  not  accomplished  ;  many  centuries  of  bitter  trial  and  humilia¬ 
tion  were  yet  in  store  for  her.  With  the  advent  of  the  Bab  and 
Baha’u’llah,  however,  the  more  complete  fulfilment  is  beginning 


1 88 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


to  appear,  for  even  already  brighter  days  have  dawned  for  Jerusalem, 
and  her  prospects  of  a  peaceful  and  glorious  future  seem  now  to 
be  reasonably  assured. 

Other  prophecies  speak  of  the  Redeemer  of  Israel,  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord,  as  coming  to  the  Holy  Land  from  the  East,  from  the 
rising  of  the  sun.  Now  Baha’u’llah  appeared  in  Persia,  which 
is  eastward  from  Palestine,  toward  the  rising  of  the  sun,  and  he 
came  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  he  spent  the  last  twenty-four  years 
of  his  life.  Had  he  come  there  as  a  free  man,  people  might  have 
said  that  it  was  the  trick  of  an  impostor  in  order  to  conform  to  the 
prophecies  ;  but  he  came  as  an  exile  and  prisoner.  He  was 
sent  there  by  the  Shah  of  Persia  and  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  who 
can  hardly  be  suspected  of  any  design  to  furnish  arguments  in 
favour  of  Baha’u’llah’s  claim  to  be  the  “  Glory  of  God  ”  whose 
coming  the  prophets  foretold. 


The  Day  of  God. 

The  word  “  Day  ”  in  such  phrases  as  “  Day  of  God  ”  and 
“  Last  Day  ”  is  interpreted  as  meaning  “  Dispensation.”  Each 
of  the  great  religion-founders  has  his  “  Day.”  Each  is  like  a 
sun.  His  teachings  have  their  dawn,  their  truth  gradually 
illumines  more  and  more  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  until 
they  attain  the  zenith  of  their  influence.  Then  they  gradually 
become  obscured,  misrepresented  and  corrupted,  and  darkness 
overshadows  the  earth  until  the  sun  of  a  new  day  arises.  The 
day  of  the  Supreme  Manifestation  of  God  is  the  Last  Day,  because 
it  is  a  day  that  shall  never  end,  and  shall  not  be  overtaken  by 
night.  His  sun  shall  never  set,  but  shall  illumine  the  souls  of 
men  both  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come.  In  reality  none 
of  the  spiritual  suns  ever  set.  The  suns  of  Moses,  of  Christ, 
of  Muhammad,  and  all  the  other  prophets  are  still  shining  in 
Heaven  with  undiminished  lustre.  But  earth-born  clouds  have 
concealed  their  radiance  from  the  people  of  earth.  The  Supreme 
Sun  of  Baha’u’llah  will  finally  disperse  these  dark  clouds,  so  that  the 
people  of  all  religions  will  rejoice  in  the  light  of  all  the  prophets, 
and  with  one  accord  worship  the  one  God  whose  light  all  the 
prophets  have  mirrored  forth. 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


189 


Prophecies  about  ‘Abdu’l~Baha. 

In  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel  and  Zechariah, 
are  several  references  to  a  man  called  the  Branch.  These  have 
often  been  taken  by  Christians  as  applying  to  Christ,  but  are 
regarded  by  Baha’is  as  referring  especially  to  ‘Abdu’l-Baha.  It 
is  a  usual  custom  in  Persia  to  call  the  eldest  son  of  the  family 
“the  greatest  branch,”  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  as  the  eldest  son  of 
Baha’u’llah,  is  commonly  known  among  the  Baha’is  under  this 
title.  Baha’u’llah,  in  his  writings,  frequently  refers  to  himself 
as  the  Tree,  or  the  Root,  and  to  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  as  the  Branch. 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  himself  writes  : — 

“  Abdu’l-Baha  is  the  Centre  of  the  Covenant  of  God,  the  Branch 
which  is  subservient  to  the  Tree.  The  essential  is  the  Tree,  the  founda¬ 
tion  is  the  Tree  and  the  universal  reality  is  the  Tree.” — Star  of  the  West, 
vol.  viii.  No.  1 7,  p.  325. 

The  longest  Bible  prophecy  about  the  Branch  is  in  the  nth 
chapter  of  Isaiah  : — 

“  And  there  shall  come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse  and  a 
Branch  shall  grow  out  of  his  roots  :  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest 
upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and 
might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord  .  .  .  righteous¬ 
ness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his  loins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  reins. 
The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  with  the  kid  ; 
and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fading  together  ;  and  a  little 
child  shall  lead  them.  .  .  .  They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my 
holy  mountain  ;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.  .  .  .  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day 
that  the  Lord  shall  set  his  hand  again  the  second  time  to  recover  the 
remnant  of  his  people,  which  shall  be  left  from  Assyria,  and  from  Egypt, 
and  from  Pathros,  and  from  Cush,  and  from  Elam  and  from  Shinar, 
and  from  Hamath,  and  from  the  islands  of  the  sea.  And  he  shall  set  up 
an  ensign  for  the  nations,  and  shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and 
gather  together  the  dispersed  of  Judah  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth.” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  remarks  about  this  and  other  prophecies  of  the 
Branch  : — 

“  One  of  the  great  events  which  is  to  occur  in  the  day  of  the  mani¬ 
festation  of  that  incomparable  Branch,  is  the  hoisting  of  the  standard 
of  God  among  all  nations,  meaning  that  all  the  nations  and  tribes  will  come 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


190 

under  the  shadow  of  this  divine  Banner,  which  is  no  other  than  the  Lordly 
Branch  itself,  and  will  become  a  single  nation.  The  antagonism  of  faiths 
and  religions,  the  hostilities  of  races  and  peoples,  and  the  patriotic  differ¬ 
ences,  will  be  eradicated  from  among  them.  All  will  become  one  religion, 
one  faith,  one  race,  and  one  single  people,  and  will  dwell  in  one  native 
land,  which  is  the  terrestrial  globe.  Universal  peace  and  concord  will 
be  realized  between  all  the  nations.  The  incomparable  Branch  will 
gather  together  all  Israel — signifying  also  that  in  this  cycle  the  Jewish 
people  who  are  scattered  to  the  east  and  west,  south  and  north,  will  be 
assembled  together  in  the  Holy  Land. 

“  Now  see  :  these  events  did  not  take  place  in  the  Christian  cycle,  for 
the  nations  did  not  come  under  the  one  standard  which  is  th^  divine  Branch. 
But  in  this  cycle  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  all  the  nations  and  peoples  will 
enter  under  the  shadow  of  this  flag.  In  the  same  way,  Israel,  scattered 
all  over  the  world,  was  not  reassembled  in  the  Holy  Land  in  the  Christian 
cycle  ;  but  in  the  beginning  of  the  cycle  of  Baha’u’llah  this  divine  promise, 
as  is  clearly  stated  in  all  the  books  of  the  prophets,  has  begun  to  be  mani¬ 
fest.  You  can  see  that  from  all  parts  of  the  world  tribes  of  Jews 
are  coming  to  the  Holy  Land  ;  they  live  in  villages  and  lands  which 
they  make  their  own,  and  day  by  day  they  are  increasing  to  such  an 
extent  that  all  Palestine  will  become  their  home.” — Some  Answered 
Questions ,  p.  75. 

Since  the  above  was  written,  Palestine  has  passed  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  Turks,  and  the  “Allied  and  Associated  Powers” 
have  endorsed  the  policy  of  re-establishing  a  national  home  for 
the  Jews  in  Palestine. 

Since  the  great  war  we  have  also  had  the  establishment  of  the 
League  of  Nations,  and  an  international  congress  for  the  purpose 
of  arranging  simultaneous  reduction  of  armaments.  These  are 
great  advances  towards  the  fulfilment  of  the  part  of  the  prophecy 
referring  to  international  peace. 

The  Day  of  Judgment. 

Christ  spoke  much  in  parables  about  a  great  Day  of  Judgment, 
when  “  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  ; 
and  shall  reward  every  man  according  to  his  works  ”  (Matt.  xvi.  27). 
He  compares  this  Day  to  the  time  of  harvest,  when  the  tares  are 
burned  and  the  wheat  gathered  into  barns  : — 

“  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the  world  (consummation  of  the  age). 
The  Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather  out 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


191 

of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity ;  and 
shall  cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnash¬ 
ing  of  teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom 
of  their  Father.” — Matt.  xiii.  40-43. 

The  phrase  “  end  of  the  world  ”  used  in  the  Authorized  Version 
of  the  Bible  in  this  and  similar  passages  has  led  many  to  suppose 
that  when  the  Day  of  Judgment  comes,  the  earth  will  suddenly 
be  destroyed,  but  this  is  evidently  a  mistake.  The  true  translation 
of  the  phrase  appears  to  be  “  the  consummation  or  end  of  the  age.” 
Christ  teaches  that  the  Kingdom  of  the  Father  is  to  be  established 
on  earth,  as  well  as  in  Heaven.  He  teaches  us  to  pray  :  “  Thy 
Kingdom  come  ;  Thy  Will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven.” 
In  the  parable  of  the  Vineyard,  when  the  Father,  the  Lord  of 
the  Vineyard,  comes  to  destroy  the  wicked  husbandmen,  he  does 
not  destroy  the  vineyard  (the  world)  also,  but  lets  it  out  to  other 
husbandmen,  who  will  render  Him  the  fruits  in  their  season. 
The  earth  is  not  to  be  destroyed,  but  to  be  renewed  and  regenerated. 
Christ  speaks  of  that  day  on  another  occasion  as  “  the  regenera¬ 
tion,  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  Glory.” 
St.  Peter  speaks  of  it  as  “  the  times  of  refreshing,”  “  the  times 
of  restitution  of  all  things,  which  God  hath  spoken  by  the  mouth 
of  all  his  Holy  Prophets  since  the  world  began.”  The  Day  of 
Judgment  of  which  Christ  speaks  is  evidently  identical  with  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  Father,  which  was  prophesied 
by  Isaiah  and  the  other  Old  Testament  prophets  ;  a  time  of 
terrible  punishment  for  the  wicked,  but  a  time  in  which  justice 
shall  be  established  and  righteousness  rule,  on  earth  as  in 
heaven. 

In  the  Baha’i  interpretation,  the  coming  of  each  Manifestation 
of  God  is  a  Day  of  Judgment,  but  the  coming  of  the 
supreme  Manifestation  of  Baha’u’llah  is  the  great  Day  of 
Judgment  for  the  World-cycle  in  which  we  are  living.  The 
trumpet-blast  of  which  Christ  and  Muhammad  and  many  other 
prophets  speak  is  the  call  of  the  Manifestation,  which  is  sounded 
for  all  who  are  in  heaven  and  on  earth — the  embodied  and  the 
disembodied.  The  meeting  with  God,  through  His  Manifesta¬ 
tion,  is,  for  those  who  desire  to  meet  Him,  the  gateway  to 
the  Paradise  of  knowing  and  loving  Him,  and  living  in  love 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


192 

with  all  His  creatures.  Those,  on  the  other  hand,  who  prefer 
their  own  way  to  God’s  way,  as  revealed  by  the  Manifestation, 
thereby  consign  themselves  to  the  Hell  of  selfishness,  error  and 
enmity. 

The  Great  Resurrection. 

The  Day  of  Judgment  is  also  the  Day  of  Resurrection,  of  the 
raising  of  the  dead.  St.  Paul  in  his  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians 
says  : — 

“  Behold  I  show  you  a  mystery ;  we  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall 
all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump  : 
for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible, 
and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this  corruptible  must  put  on  incorruption, 
and  this  mortality  must  put  on  immortality.” — 1  Cor.  v.  51—54. 

As  to  the  meaning  of  these  passages  about  the  raising  of  the  dead, 
Baha’u’llah  writes  in  the  Book  of  Iqan  : — 

“  By  the  words  ‘  life  ’  and  ‘  death,’  recorded  in  the  Books,  is  meant 
life  through  faith,  and  death  through  unbelief.  It  is  owing  to  the  lack 
of  comprehension  of  this  meaning  that  in  every  Manifestation  the  generality 
of  people  refused  to  believe,  were  not  directed  by  the  Sun  of  Guidance, 
and  did  not  follow  the  Eternal  Beauty.  .  .  .  Jesus  said  :  ‘Ye  must  be 
bom  again,’  and  in  another  place  He  said  :  ‘  Except  a  man  be  bom  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God  ;  that  which 
is  bom  of  flesh  is  flesh,  and  that  which  is  bom  of  spirit  is  spirit  ’  (John  iii.  6). 
The  interpretation  of  this  is  that  whosoever  is  not  quickened  by  the  water 
of  divine  knowledge  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Jesus  is  not  fitted  to 
enter  the  Supreme  Kingdom.  .  .  .  The  essence  of  the  meaning  is 
that  those  servants  who  are  bom  of  and  quickened  by  the  spirit  and 
breath  of  the  appearances  of  holiness  in  every  Manifestation,  to  them 
can  be  attributed  life,  resurrection,  and  entrance  into  the  Paradise 
of  Divine  Love ;  while  to  others  is  ascribed  death,  heedlessness, 
and  entrance  into  the  fire  of  unbelief  and  Divine  Wrath.  .  .  .  Were  ye 
to  taste  a  little  of  the  clear  water  of  Divine  Knowledge,  ye  would  know 
that  the  real  life  is  the  life  of  the  heart  and  not  the  life  of  the  body ; 
for  both  animals  and  men  share  in  the  life  of  the  body ;  but  the  real  life 
is  assigned  to  possessors  of  brilliant  souls  who  drink  from  the  ocean  of 
faith  and  partake  of  the  fruit  of  assurance.  This  life  is  not  followed  by 
death,  nor  this  immortality  by  mortality ;  as  it  is  said  :  ‘  A  true  believer 
is  alive  both  in  this  world  and  the  world  to  come.’  If  by  ‘  life  ’  be  meant 
the  outward  life  of  the  body,  it  is  evident  that  death  overtakes  that.” 
(Pp.  80-85.) 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


193 

According  to  the  Baha’i  teaching  the  Resurrection  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  gross  physical  body.  That  body,  once  dead,  is 
done  with.  It  becomes  decomposed  and  its  atoms  will  never  be 
recomposed  into  the  same  body. 

Resurrection  is  the  birth  of  the  individual  to  spiritual  life, 
through  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  bestowed  through  the  Manifesta¬ 
tion  of  God.  The  grave  from  which  he  arises  is  the  grave  of 
ignorance  and  negligence  of  God.  The  sleep  from  which  he 
awakens  is  the  dormant  spiritual  condition  in  which  many  await 
the  dawn  of  the  Day  of  God.  This  dawn  illumines  all  who  have 
lived  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  whether  they  are  in  the  body  or 
out  of  the  body,  but  those  who  are  spiritually  blind  cannot  perceive 
it.  The  Day  of  Resurrection  is  not  a  day  of  twenty-four  hours, 
but  an  era  which  has  now  begun  and  will  last  as  long  as  the 
present  world-cycle  continues.  The  morning  star  of  that  day  is 
the  Bab  ;  its  sun  is  the  supreme  Manifestation  of  Baha’u’llah,  and 
its  moon  is  ‘Abdu’l-Baha — a  star,  a  sun  and  a  moon  which  will 
know  no  setting,  and  will  continue  to  shine  in  the  spiritual  world 
when  all  traces  of  the  present  civilisation  will  have  been  wiped 
off  the  surface  of  the  globe. 

Return  of  Christ. 

In  many  of  His  conversations  Christ  speaks  of  the  future 
Manifestation  of  God  in  the  third  person,  but  in  others  the  first 
person  is  used.  He  says  :  44  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. 
And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and 
receive  you  unto  myself”  (John  xiv.  2).  In  the  first  chapter 
of  Acts  we  read  that  the  disciples  were  told,  at  the  ascension  of 
Jesus  :  44  This  same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven, 
shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven.” 
Because  of  these  and  similar  sayings,  many  Christians  expect  that 
when  the  Son  of  Man  comes  44  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  and  with 
great  glory”  they  shall  see  in  bodily  form  the  very  Jesus  who 
walked  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  two  thousand  years  ago,  and  bled 
and  suffered  on  the  cross.  They  expect  to  be  able  to  thrust  their 
fingers  into  the  prints  of  the  nails  on  his  hands  and  feet,  and  their 
hands  into  the  spear- wound  in  his  side.  But  surely  a  little  reflection 
Christ’s  own  words  would  dissipate  such  an  idea.  The  Jews 

13 


on 


194 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


of  Christ’s  time  had  just  such  ideas  about  the  return  of  Elias,  but 
Jesus  explained  their  error,  showing  that  the  prophecy  that  “  Elias 
must  first  come  ”  was  fulfilled,  not  by  the  return  of  the  person 
and  body  of  the  former  Elias,  but  in  the  person  of  John  the  Baptist, 
who  came  “  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias.”  “  And  if  ye  will 
receive  it,”  said  Christ,  “  this  is  Elias,  which  was  for  to  come. 
He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.”  The  “  return  ”  of 
Elias,  therefore,  meant  the  appearance  of  another  person,  born 
of  other  parents,  but  inspired  by  God  with  the  same  spirit  and  powrer. 
These  words  of  Jesus  may  surely  be  taken  to  imply  that  the  return 
of  Christ  will,  in  like  manner,  be  accomplished  by  the  appearance 
of  another  person,  born  of  another  mother,  but  showing  forth  the 
Spirit  and  Power  of  God  even  as  Christ  did.  Baha’u’llah  explains 
that  the  “  coming  again  ”  of  Christ  was  fulfilled  in  the  advent 
of  the  Bab  and  in  his  own  coming.  He  says  : — 

“  If  the  sun  of  to-day  say,  ‘  I  am  the  sun  of  yesterday  !  ’  it  is  true ; 
and  yet  if,  according  to  daily  sequence,  it  say,  ‘  I  am  other  than  the  sun 
of  yesterday,’  this  is  also  true.  Likewise  consider  the  days  :  if  it  be 
said  that  all  the  days  are  the  same,  it  is  correct  and  true  ;  and  if  it  be  said 
that  according  to  name  and  designation  they  differ  from  each  other,  this 
also  is  true,  as  thou  seest.  For  though  they  are  the  same,  yet  in  each 
one  there  is  a  name,  quality  and  designation  which  is  different  from  the 
other.  By  the  same  method  and  explanation,  understand  the  stations 
of  separation,  difference  and  oneness  of  the  Holy  Manifestations,  so  that 
thou  mayest  comprehend  the  interpretations  of  the  Words  of  the  Creator 
of  the  Names  and  Attributes,  concerning  separation  and  union.” — Book 
of  Ighan,  p.  15. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  Know  that  the  return  of  Christ  for  a  second  time  doth  not  mean 
what  the  people  believe,  but  rather  signifieth  the  One  promised  to  come 
after  Him.  He  shall  come  with  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  Power 
which  hath  surrounded  the  world.  This  dominion  is  in  the  world  of 
hearts  and  spirits,  and  not  in  that  of  matter ;  for  the  material  world  is 
not  comparable  to  a  single  wing  of  a  fly,  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  wert 
thou  of  those  who  know  !  Verily  Christ  came  with  His  Kingdom  from 
the  beginning  which  hath  no  beginning,  and  will  come  with  His  Kingdom 
to  the  eternity  of  eternities,  inasmuch  as  in  this  sense  ‘  Christ  ’  is  an  expres¬ 
sion  of  the  Divine  Reality,  the  simple  Essence  and  heavenly  Entity,  which 
hath  no  beginning  nor  ending.  It  hath  appearance,  arising,  manifestation 
and  setting  in  each  of  the  cycles.” — Tablets  of‘Abdul-Baha,\o\.\.  p.  138. 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


i95 


The  Time  of  the  End. 

Christ  and  his  apostles  mentioned  many  signs  which  would 
distinguish  the  times  of  the  “  Return  ”  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the 
glory  of  the  Father.  Christ  said  : — 

“  And  when  ye  shall  see  Jerusalem  compassed  with  armies,  then  know 
that  the  desolation  thereof  is  nigh.  .  .  .  For  these  be  the  days  of  ven¬ 
geance,  that  all  things  which  are  written  may  be  fulfilled  ...  for  there 
shall  be  great  distress  in  the  land,  and  wrath  upon  this  people.  And  they 
shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall  be  led  away  captive  into 
all  nations ;  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles,  until 
the  ti?nes  of  the  Gentiles  shall  be  fulfilled .” — Luke  xxi.  20—24. 

Again  He  said  : — 

“  Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive  you.  For  many  shall  come  in  my 
name,  saying,  ‘  I  am  Christ  ’ ;  and  shall  deceive  many.  And  ye  shall 
hear  of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars  :  see  that  ye  be  not  troubled  :  for 
all  these  things  must  come  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet.  For  nation 
shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom  :  and  there  shall 
be  famines  and  pestilences,  and  earthquakes,  in  divers  places.  All  these 
things  are  the  beginning  of  sorrows.  Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to 
be  afflicted,  and  shall  kill  you  ;  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations  for 
my  name’s  sake.  And  then  shall  many  be  offended,  and  shall  betray  one 
another  and  shall  hate  one  another.  And  many  false  prophets  shall 
rise,  and  shall  deceive  many.  And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the 
love  of  many  shall  wax  cold.  But  he  that  shall  endure  to  the  end,  the 
same  shall  be  saved.  Aid  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached 
in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations  ;  and  then  shall  the  end 
come” — Matt.  xxiv.  4-14. 

In  these  two  passages  Christ  foretold  in  plain  terms,  without 
veil  or  covering,  the  things  that  must  come  to  pass  before  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.  During  the  centuries  that  have  elapsed 
since  Christ  spoke,  every  one  of  these  signs  has  been  fulfilled. 
In  the  last  part  of  each  passage  he  mentions  an  event  that  shall 
mark  the  time  of  the  coming — in  one  case  the  ending  of  the 
Jewish  exile  and  the  restoration  of  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  other  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  in  all  the  world.  It  is  startling  to  find  that 
both  of  these  signs  are  being  literally  fulfilled  in  our  own  times. 
If  these  parts  of  the  prophecy  are  as  true  as  the  rest,  it  follows  that 
we  must  be  living  now  in  the  “  time  of  the  end  ”  of  which  Christ 
spoke. 


196  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

Muhammad  also  mentions  certain  signs  which  will  persist 
until  the  Day  of  Resurrection.  In  the  Qur’an  we  read  : — 

“  When  Allah  said  :  ‘  O  Jesus  !  Verily  I  will  cause  thee  to  die,  and 
exalt  thee  towards  me,  and  clear  thee  of  the  charges  of  those  who  dis¬ 
believe,  and  will  place  those  who  follow  thee  (i.e.  Christians)  above  those 
who  disbelieve  (Jews  and  others)  until  the  Day  of  Resurrection  ;  then 
to  Me  shall  be  your  return,  so  I  will  decide  between  you  concerning 
that  in  which  you  differed/  ” — Surat  iii.  54. 

‘“The  Hand  of  God,’  say  the  Jews,  ‘is  chained  up.’  Their  own 
hands  shall  be  chained  up — and  for  that  which  they  have  said  shall  they 
be  cursed.  Nay !  outstretched  are  both  His  hands  !  At  His  own 
pleasure  doth  He  bestow  gifts.  That  which  hath  been  sent  down  to 
thee  from  thy  Lord  will  surely  increase  the  rebellion  and  unbelief  of  many 
of  them  ;  and  We  have  put  enmity  and  hatred  between  them  that  shall 
last  until  the  Day  of  Resurrection.  Oft  as  they  kindle  a  beacon  fire 
for  wrar  shall  God  quench  it.” — Surat  v.  69. 

“  And  of  those  who  say,  ‘  We  are  Christians,’  have  We  accepted  the 
Covenant.  But  they  too  have  forgotten  a  part  of  what  they  were  taught ; 
wherefore  We  have  stirred  up  enmity  and  hatred  among  them  that  shall 
last  until  the  Day  of  Resurrection  ;  and  in  the  end  will  God  tell  them 
of  their  doings.” — Surat  v.  17. 

These  words  also  have  been  literally  fulfilled  in  the  subjection 
of  the  Jews  to  Christian  (and  Muslim)  peoples,  and  in  the 
sectarianism  and  strife  which  have  divided  both  Jews  and  Christians 
among  themselves  during  all  the  centuries  since  Muhammad 
spoke.  Only  since  the  commencement  of  the  Baha’i  era  (the 
Day  of  Resurrection)  have  signs  of  the  approaching  end  of  these 
conditions  made  their  appearance. 

Signs  in  Heaven  and  Earth. 

In  the  Hebrew,  Christian,  Muhammadan  and  many  other 
Scriptures,  there  is  a  remarkable  similarity  in  the  description 
of  the  signs  which  are  to  accompany  the  coming  of  the  Prom¬ 
ised  One. 

In  the  Book  of  Joel  we  read  : — 

“  And  I  will  show  wonders  in  the  heavens  and  in  the  earth,  blood  and 
fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke.  The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and 
the  moon  into  blood,  before  the  great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord  come. 
For  behold,  in  those  days,  when  I  shall  bring  again  the  captivity  of  Judah 
and  Jerusalem,  I  will  also  gather  all  nations,  and  will  bring  them  into  the 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


19  7 

valley  of  Jehoshaphat  (Jehovah  judgeth)  and  will  plead  with  them  there 
.  .  .  multitudes,  multitudes  in  the  valley  of  decision  :  for  the  Day  of  the 
Lord  is  near  in  the  valley  of  decision.  The  sun  and  the  moon  shall  be 
darkened,  and  the  stars  shall  withdraw  their  shining.  The  Lord  also  shall 
roar  out  of  Zion,  and  utter  His  voice  from  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  shall  shake  :  but  the  Lord  will  be  the  strength  of  his  people.” 

Christ  says  : — 

“  Immediately  after  the  tribulations  of  those  days  shall  the  sun  be 
darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall 
from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken  :  and  then 
shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven  :  and  then  shall  all  the 
tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.” — Matt.  xxiv.  29,  30. 

In  the  Qur’an  we  read  : — 

“  When  the  sun  shall  be  shrouded, 

And  when  the  stars  shall  fall, 

And  when  the  mountains  are  made  to  pass  away  .  .  . 
And  when  the  leaves  of  the  Book  shall  be  unrolled, 

And  when  the  heaven  shall  be  uncovered, 

And  when  hell  shall  be  made  to  blaze.” — Surat  lxxxi. 

In  the  Book  of  iqan  Baha’u’llah  explains  that  these  prophecies 
about  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  are 
symbolical  and  are  not  to  be  understood  merely  in  the  literal 
sense.  The  prophets  were  primarily  concerned  with  spiritual,  not 
with  material,  things  ;  with  spiritual,  not  with  physical,  light. 
When  they  mention  the  sun,  in  connection  with  the  Day  of 
Judgment,  they  refer  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  The  sun  is 
the  supreme  source  of  light,  so  Moses  was  a  sun  for  the  Hebrews, 
Christ  for  the  Christians,  and  Muhammad  for  the  Muslims. 
When  the  prophets  speak  of  the  sun  being  darkened,  what  is 
meant  is  that  the  pure  teachings  of  these  spiritual  Suns  have  become 
obscured  by  misrepresentation,  misunderstanding  and  prejudice, 
so  that  the  people  are  in  spiritual  darkness.  The  moon  and  stars 
are  the  lesser  sources  of  illumination,  the  religious  leaders  and 
teachers,  who  should  guide  and  inspire  the  people.  When  it  is 
said  that  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light  or  shall  be  turned  into 
blood,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  it  is  indicated  that  the 
leaders  of  the  churches  shall  become  debased,  engaging  in  strife 


198  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 

and  contention,  and  the  priests  shall  become  worldly-minded, 
concerned  about  earthly  instead  of  heavenly  things. 

The  meaning  of  these  prophecies  is  not  exhausted  by  one 
explanation,  however,  and  there  are  other  senses  in  which  these 
symbols  can  be  interpreted.  Baha’u’llah  says  that  in  another  sense 
the  words  “  sun,”  “  moon,”  and  “  stars  ”  are  applied  to  the 
ordinances  and  instructions  enacted  in  every  religion.  As  in 
every  subsequent  Manifestation  the  ceremonies,  forms,  customs 
and  instructions  of  the  preceding  Manifestation  are  changed  in 
accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  times,  so,  in  this  sense  the 
sun  and  moon  are  changed  and  the  stars  dispersed. 

In  many  cases  the  literal  fulfilment  of  these  prophecies  in  the 
outward  sense  would  be  absurd  or  impossible  ;  for  example,  the 
moon  being  turned  into  blood  or  the  stars  falling  upon  the  earth. 
The  least  of  the  visible  stars  is  many  thousand  times  larger  than 
the  earth,  and  were  one  to  fall  on  the  earth  there  would  be  no  earth 
left  for  another  to  fall  on  !  In  other  cases,  however,  there  is  a 
material  as  well  as  a  spiritual  fulfilment.  For  example,  the  Holy 
Land  did  literally  become  desert  and  desolate  during  many  centuries, 
as  foretold  by  the  prophets,  but  already,  in  the  Day  of  Resurrection, 
it  is  beginning  to  “  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose,”  as  Isaiah 
foretold.  Prosperous  colonies  are  being  started,  the  land  is  being 
irrigated  and  cultivated,  and  vineyards,  olive  groves  and  gardens 
are  flourishing  where  half  a  century  ago  there  was  only  sandy 
waste.  Doubtless  when  men  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares 
and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks,  wildernesses  and  deserts  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  will  be  reclaimed  ;  the  scorching  winds  and 
sandstorms  that  blow  from  these  deserts,  and  make  life  in  their 
neighbourhood  well-nigh  intolerable,  will  be  things  of  the  past  ; 
the  climate  of  the  whole  earth  will  become  milder  and  more 
equable  ;  cities  will  no  longer  defile  the  air  with  smoke  and 
poisonous  fumes,  and  even  in  the  outward,  material  sense  there 
will  be  “  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth.” 


Maimer  of  Coming. 

As  to  the  manner  of  His  coming  at  the  end  of  the  age,  Christ 
said  : — 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


199 

“  And  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven 
with  power  and  great  glory.  And  He  shall  send  his  angels  with  a  great 
sound  of  a  trumpet  .  .  .  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory 
and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations  :  and  he  shall  separate  them 
one  from  another  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats.” — - 
Matt.  xxiv.  xxv. 

Regarding  these  and  similar  passages  Baha’u’llah  writes  in  the 
Book  of  lqan  : — 

“  The  purpose  of  the  word  ‘  heaven  *  is  none  other  than  to  denote  the 
exaltation  and  loftiness  which  is  the  station  of  the  appearance  of  those 
Daysprings  of  Holiness  and  Dawning-places  of  Pre-existence.  Although 
these  Ancient  Beings  outwardly  appear  from  the  wombs  of  mothers, 
yet  in  reality  they  descend  from  the  Heaven  of  Command  ;  and  although 
they  dwell  upon  the  earth,  yet  they  recline  upon  the  couch  of  Significances ; 
and  while  walking  upon  the  earth,  they  soar  in  the  skies  of  Nearness. 
They  journey  in  the  land  of  Spirit  without  motion  of  foot,  and  fly  upward 
to  the  summit  of  Oneness  without  wing.  .  .  . 

“  By  ‘  cloud  ’  is  meant  things  contrary  to  the  egotism  and  desire  of 
men,  as  mentioned  in  the  verse  :  (  Ye  therefore,  whenever  a  messenger 
comes  to  you  with  that  which  your  souls  desire  not,  proudly  reject  him, 
and  accuse  some  of  imposture  and  slay  others  ’  (Qur’an  S.  n).  Such 
clouds  are,  for  instance,  the  changing  of  ordinances,  substitution  of  laws, 
removal  of  customary  rules  and  ceremonies,  and  the  pre-eminence  of 
common  people  who  become  believers  over  the  learned  who  deny ;  like¬ 
wise  also  the  appearance  of  that  Eternal  Beauty  in  accordance  with  human 
limitations,  such  as  eating,  drinking,  poverty,  riches,  glory,  abasement, 
sleeping,  waking  and  similar  things  which  cause  people  to  doubt,  and  hinder 
them  from  accepting  the  Manifestation. 

“  As  clouds  prevent  the  eyes  of  men  from  viewing  the  phenomenal 
sun,  so  the  above  conditions  hinder  the  people  from  apprehending  that 
Ideal  Sun.  ...  As  these  Temples  of  Holiness  were  subject  to  outward 
indigence  and  adversity  and  also  to  natural  and  bodily  necessities,  such 
as  hunger,  thirst,  and  incidental  happenings,  the  people  would  become 
bewildered  in  Saharas  of  doubt  and  suspicion  and  in  deserts  of  imagina¬ 
tion  and  perplexity,  wondering  :  ‘  How  could  one  come  from  God, 
claim  predominance  over  all  in  the  earth,  and  ascribe  to  Himself  the 
motive  of  the  creation  of  beings  .  .  .  and  yet  be  afflicted  by  such  trifling 
matters  ?  ’  For  it  is  heard  how  every  Prophet  and  his  companions 
suffered  adversities  such  as  poverty,  diseases  and  contempt ;  how  the 
heads  of  their  followers  were  sent  as  presents  in  the  cities ;  how  they  were 
prevented  from  that  whereunto  they  were  commanded,  and  each  of  them 
suffered  by  the  hand  of  the  enemies  of  religion,  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  latter  inflicted  upon  them  whatever  they  desired.  .  .  . 

“  The  Lord  of  Might  hath  made  all  these  conditions  which  are  con- 


200 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


trary  to  impure  souls  and  opposed  to  the  desire  of  people,  as  a  test  and 
standard  by  which  He  tries  His  servants  and  distinguishes  the  righteous 
from  the  wicked,  the  believer  from  the  denier.  .  .  . 

“  As  to  His  saying  :  *  And  will  send  His  angels,’  etc.,  these  ‘  angels  ’  are 
souls  who  through  spiritual  power  have  burned  human  qualities  by  the 
fire  of  Divine  Love  and  become  characterized  with  the  attributes  of  the 
Exalted  ones  and  Cherubim.  .  .  . 

“  As  the  people  of  Jesus  did  not  attain  to  these  meanings,  and  these 
signs  did  not  outwardly  come  to  pass  as  they  and  their  divines  under¬ 
stood,  they  have  not  believed  in  the  Holy  Manifestations  from  that  day 
until  the  present ;  therefore  they  have  been  deprived  of  the  sacred  boun¬ 
ties  and  veiled  from  the  wonderful  Words  of  Eternity.  This  is  the 
condition  of  these  servants  in  this  Day  of  Resurrection.  They  have 
not  even  understood  that  if  in  any  age  the  signs  of  a  Manifestation  were 
to  appear  in  the  phenomenal  world  in  conformity  with  that  which  is 
recorded  in  the  traditions,  no  one  would  dare  to  deny  or  oppose  them, 
nor  could  the  pious  and  the  unjust,  the  sinner  and  the  righteous  be  dis¬ 
tinguished.  Be  just ;  for  instance,  if  these  statements  recorded  in  the 
Gospel  should  be  literally  fulfilled,  and  Angels  descend  with  Jesus  the 
Son  of  Mary  from  the  phenomenal  heaven  in  a  cloud,  who  would  dare  to 
deny,  and  who  would  be  able  to  reject  or  dispute  ?  Nay,  rather,  such 
agitation  would  suddenly  seize  upon  the  people  of  the  world  that  they 
would  not  be  able  to  speak  a  word,  much  less  to  deny  or  accept.” — Book 
of  Igkan,  pp.  44-58. 

According  to  the  above  explanation,  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man,  in  lowly  human  form,  born  of  a  woman,  poor,  uneducated, 
oppressed  and  set  at  naught  by  the  great  ones  of  the  earth — this 
manner  of  coming  is  the  very  touchstone  by  which  He  judges  the 
people  of  earth  and  separates  them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd 
divides  his  sheep  from  the  goats.  Those  whose  spiritual  eyes  are 
opened  can  see  through  these  clouds  and  rejoice  in  the  “power  and 
great  glory,” — the  very  glory  of  God — which  He  comes  to  reveal  ; 
the  others,  whose  eyes  are  still  holden  by  prejudice  and  error,  can 
see  but  the  dark  clouds  and  continue  to  grope  in  gloom,  deprived 
of  the  blessed  sunshine. 

“  Behold,  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare  the  way 
before  me  :  and  the  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his 
temple,  even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in.  .  .  . 
But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming  ?  And  who  shall  stand  when 
he  appeareth  ?  For  he  is  like  a  refiner’s  fire,  and  like  fullers’  soap.  .  .  . 
For  behold  the  day  cometh  that  shall  bum  as  an  oven  ;  and  all  the  proud, 
yea,  and  all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  be  stubble.  .  .  .  But  unto  you  that 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED 


201 


fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise,  with  healing  in  his 
wings.” — Mai.  iii.  iv. 

Note. — The  subject  of  fulfilment  of  prophecy  is  such  an  extensive 
one  that  many  volumes  would  be  required  for  its  adequate  exposition. 
All  that  can  be  done  within  the  limits  of  a  single  chapter  is  to  indicate 
the  main  outlines  of  the  Baha’i  interpretations.  The  detailed  Apocalypses 
revealed  by  Daniel  and  St.  John  have  been  left  untouched.  Readers 
will  find  certain  chapters  of  these  dealt  with  in  Some  Answered 
Questions  (see  Bibliography).  In  the  Book  of  Ighan ,  by  Baha’u’llah, 
Baha’i  Proofs ,  by  Mlrza  Abu’l-Fadl,  and  in  many  of  the  Tablets 
of  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  further  explanations  of  prophecies  may 
be  found. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


PROPHECIES  OF  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND 
‘ABDU’L-BAHA 


“  And  if  thou  shalt  say  in  thine  heart,  How  shall  we  know  the  word  which 
the  Lord  hath  not  spoken  ?  When  a  prophet  speaketh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  if  the  thing  follow  not  nor  come  to  pass,  that  is  the  thing  which  the  Lord 
hath  not  spoken,  but  the  prophet  hath  spoken  it  presumptuously  :  thou  shalt 
not  be  afraid  of  him.” — Deut.  xviii.  22. 


Creative  Power  of  God’s  Word, 

God,  and  God  alone,  has  the  power  to  do  whatever  He  wills, 
and  the  greatest  proof  of  a  Manifestation  of  God  is  the  creative 
power  of  His  word — its  effectiveness  to  change  and  transform 
all  human  affairs  and  to  triumph  over  all  human  opposition. 
Through  the  word  of  the  prophets  God  announces  His  will,  and 
the  immediate  or  subsequent  fulfilment  of  that  word  is  the  clearest 
proof  of  the  prophet’s  claim  and  of  the  genuineness  of  his 
inspiration. 

“  For  as  the  rain  cometh  down,  and  the  snow  from  heaven,  and  retumeth 
not  thither,  but  watereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud, 
so  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the  eater  :  so  shall 
my  Word  be  that  goeth  out  of  my  mouth  ;  it  shall  not  return  to  me 
void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper 
in  the  thing  whereunto  I  sent  it.” — Isa.  lv.  10,  11. 

When  the  disciples  of  John  the  Baptist  came  to  Jesus  with  the 
question  :  “  Art  thou  he  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look 

for  another  ?  ”  the  answer  of  Jesus  was  simply  to  point  to  the 
effects  wrought  by  His  words  : — 

“  Go  and  show  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see  : 

the  blind  receive  their  sight  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed 

202 


BAHA’I  PROPHECIES  203 

and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel 
preached  unto  them.  And  blessed  is  he  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended 
in  me.” — Matt.  xi.  4-6. 

Let  us  now  see  what  evidence  there  is  to  show  whether  the 
words  of  Baha’u’llah  have  this  creative  power  which  is  distinctive 
of  the  v/ord  of  God.  Baha’u’llah  commanded  the  abandonment 
of  alcohol  as  a  beverage,  and  ever  since,  the  total  abstinence  move¬ 
ment  has  been  making  phenomenal  progress  throughout  the  world  ; 
vested  and  other  interests  in  the  liquor  traffic  are  still  very  strong, 
but  they  are  tottering  and  falling  before  the  irresistible  advance 
of  temperance.  Baha’u’llah  commanded  the  adoption  of 
representative  government,  and  ever  since,  in  one  country  after 
anoffier,  the  control  of  legislation  has  passed  more  and  more  into 
the  hands  of  the  elected  representatives  of  the  people  ;  the  great 
military  autocracies  have  collapsed  in  the  most  dramatic  fashion, 
and  there  seems  not  the  slightest  prospect  that  they  will  ever  be 
revived.  He  commanded  limitation  of  the  extremes  of  wealth 
and  poverty,  and  ever  since,  legislation  for  the  establishment  of 
a  minimum  subsistence  level  and  for  graduated  taxation  of  wealth 
have  become  more  and  more  widely  adopted.  He  commanded 
the  abolition  of  both  chattel  and  economic  slavery,  and  ever  since, 
the  emancipation  of  the  workers  and  their  progress  towards  a 
position  of  partnership  in  industry  have  been  steady  and  irresistible. 
He  commanded  equal  rights  and  privileges  for  men  and  women, 
and  ever  since,  the  bonds  by  which  women  have  been  bound  for 
ages  have  been  snapping,  and  woman  has  fast  been  securing  her 
rightful  place  as  the  equal  and  partner  of  man.  He  commanded 
the  adoption  of  a  universal  language,  and  already  Esperanto  has 
been  invented  for  the  purpose,  and  is  speedily  securing  world¬ 
wide  recognition.  He  commanded  the  formation  of  a  Universal 
League  of  Nations,  and  already  surprising  and  substantial  progress 
has  been  made  towards  the  realization  of  such  a  League,  while 
the  conviction  of  its  necessity  is  becoming  general.  He  com¬ 
manded  the  settlement  of  disputes  between  nations  by  an  inter¬ 
national  arbitration  court,  and  ever  since,  international  arbitration 
has  been  more  and  more  frequently  resorted  to,  and  its  scope 
progressively  widened.  He  commanded  simultaneous  reduction 
of  armaments  by  agreement  between  the  various  Powers,  and 


204 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


already  a  beginning  has  been  made  in  that  direction.  He  com¬ 
manded  universal  education,  and  ever  since,  the  countries  of  the 
world  have,  one  after  another,  been  adopting  compulsory  education 
and  gradually  raising  their  educational  standards.  These  instances 
might  be  multiplied  and  elaborated,  but  we  do  not  know  of  a  single 
instance  in  which  it  can  be  shown  that  a  command  of  Baha’u’llah 
has  remained  without  effect  in  the  world.  Surely  the  evidence 
is  irresistible  that  Baha’u’llah  is  a  true  revealer  and  exponent  of 
the  Divine  Creative  Will. 

A  study  of  the  more  detailed  prophecies  of  Baha’u’llah  and  their 
fulfilment  will  give  powerful  corroborative  evidence.  Of  these 
prophecies  we  shall  now  proceed  to  give  a  few  examples,  about  the 
authenticity  of  which  there  can  be  no  dispute.  They  were  widely 
published  and  known  before  their  fulfilment  came  about.  The 
letters  which  he  sent  to  the  crowned  heads  of  the  world,  in  which 
many  of  these  prophecies  occur,  were  compiled  in  a  book  [Suratii l 
Haykal)  which  was  first  published  in  Bombay  over  forty  years 
ago.  Several  editions  have  since  been  published.  We  shall  also 
give  some  examples  of  noteworthy  prophecies  by  ‘Abdu’l-Baha. 

Napoleon  III. 

In  the  year  1869  Baha’u’llah  wrote  to  Napoleon  III,  rebuking 
him  for  his  lust  of  war  and  for  the  contempt  with  which  he  had 
treated  a  former  letter  from  Baha’u’llah.  The  epistle  contains 
the  following  stern  warning  : — 

“  Thy  doings  shall  throw  thy  kingdom  into  confusion,  sovereignty 
shall  pass  from  thy  hands,  to  requite  thee  for  thy  deeds,  and  thus  thou 
shalt  find  thyself  in  grievous  loss.  Convulsions  shall  seize  all  peoples 
in  yonder  land,  unless  thou  dost  arise  in  this  Cause  and  in  this  straight 
path  follow  the  Spirit.  Hath  thy  pomp  made  thee  vain-glorious  ?  By 
my  life  !  It  shall  not  endure,  nay,  it  shall  pass  away,  unless  thou  dost 
cling  unto  this  strong  cord.  We  behold  abasement  hastening  upon  thy 
heels  and  thou  art  yet  of  them  that  are  heedless.” 

Needless  to  say,  Napoleon,  who  was  then  at  the  zenith  of 
his  power,  paid  no  heed  to  this  warning.  In  the  following  year 
he  went  to  war  with  Prussia,  firmly  convinced  that  his  troops  could 
easily  gain  Berlin  ;  but  the  tragedy  foretold  by  Baha’u’llah  over¬ 
whelmed  him.  Pie  was  defeated  at  Saarbruck,  at  Weissenburg, 


BAHA’I  PROPHECIES 


205 


at  Metz,  and  finally  in  the  crushing  catastrophe  at  Sedan.  He 
was  then  carried  prisoner  to  Prussia,  and  came  to  a  miserable  end 
in  England  two  years  later. 

Germany. 

Baha’u’llah  later  gave  an  equally  solemn  warning  to  the 
conquerors  of  Napoleon,  which  also  fell  on  deaf  ears  and  received 
a  terrible  fulfilment.  In  the  Book  of  Aqdas ,  which  was  begun 
in  Adrianople,  and  finished  in  the  early  years  of  Baha’u’llah’s 
imprisonment  in  ‘Akka,  he  addressed  the  Emperor  of  Germany 
as  follows  : — 

“  O  King  of  Berlin  !  .  .  .  Recollect  the  one  who  was  greater  than 
thee  in  station  (i.e.  Napoleon  III)  and  whose  position  was  higher  than 
thine.  Where  is  he  ?  And  where  are  his  possessions  ?  Be  admonished, 
and  be  not  of  those  who  sleep.  He  cast  the  Tablet  of  God  behind  him, 
when  We  informed  him  of  what  had  befallen  Us  from  the  hosts  of 
oppression,  and  thus  disgrace  beset  him  from  all  sides  until  he  returned 
to  the  dust  in  great  loss.  O  King,  think  deeply  concerning  him,  as  well 
as  about  those  like  unto  thee,  those  who  conquered  cities,  and  ruled 
over  the  servants  of  God — and  God  brought  them  down  from  palaces 
to  graves.  Be  warned,  and  be  of  those  who  are  mindful.  .  .  . 

“  O  Banks  of  the  River  Rhine  !  We  have  seen  you  drenched  in  gore 
because  the  swords  of  retribution  were  drawn  against  you  and  you  shall 
have  another  turn.  And  we  hear  the  lamentations  of  Berlin,  although 
it  be  to-day  in  manifest  glory.” 

During  the  period  of  German  successes  in  the  Great  War  of 
1914-18,  and  especially  during  the  last  great  German  offensive 
in  the  spring  of  1918,  this  well-known  prophecy  was  extensively 
quoted  by  the  opponents  of  the  Baha’i  Movement  in  Persia,  in 
order  to  discredit  Baha’u’llah  ;  but  when  the  forward  sweep  of 
the  victorious  Germans  was  suddenly  transformed  into  crushing, 
overwhelming  disaster,  the  efforts  of  these  enemies  of  the  Baha’i 
Cause  recoiled  on  themselves,  and  the  notoriety  which  they  had 
given  to  the  prophecy  became  a  powerful  means  of  enhancing  the 
reputation  of  Baha’u’llah. 

Persia. 

In  the  Book  of  A qdas  written  when  the  tyrannical  Muzaffaru’d- 
Dln  Shah  was  at  the  height  of  his  power.)  Baha’u’llah  blesses  the 


2o6  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

city  of  Tihran,  which  is  the  capital  of  Persia,  and  his  own  birth¬ 
place,  and  says  of  it  : — 

“  O  Land  of  Ta  (Tihran)  !  Be  not  sorrowful  from  any  cause.  God 
hath  made  thee  the  Dawning  Place  of  the  Joy  of  the  world.  If  He  will. 
He  will  bless  thy  throne  with  one  who  will  rule  with  justice  and  gather 
together  the  sheep  of  God  which  have  been  scattered  by  the  wolves. 
Verily  he  will  treat  the  people  of  Baha  with  joy  and  gladness.  Lo,  he 
is  of  the  essence  of  the  people  in  the  sight  of  God.  .  .  . 

“  Rejoice,  for  God  hath  made  thee  a  Horizon  of  Light,  because  in 
,  thee  was  bom  the  Dawning  Place  of  the  Manifestation.  .  .  .  Soon 
affairs  will  be  changed  in  thee  and  a  republic  of  men  shall  rule  over  thee. 
Verily  thy  Lord  is  the  Wise,  the  Encompasser.  Be  assured  of  the  Provi¬ 
dence  of  thy  Lord.  Verily  the  Countenance  of  Grace  will  not  cease  to 
behold  thee  with  the  Eyes  of  Love.  Soon  peace  will  overtake  thee  after 
commotion  (confusion  or  chaos).  Thus  it  hath  been  decreed  in  the  Book 
of  Wonders.” 

So  far,  Persia  has  only  begun  to  emerge  from  the  period  of 
confusion  foretold  by  Baha’u’llah,  but  already  constitutional 
government  has  been  started,  and  signs  are  not  lacking  that  a 
brighter  era  is  at  hand. 

Turkey. 

To  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  and  his  Prime  Minister  ‘All  Pasha, 
Baha’u’llah  then  (in  1868)  confined  in  a  Turkish  prison,  addressed 
some  of  his  most  solemn,  grave  warnings.  To  the  Sultan  he 
wrote  from  the  Barracks  at  ‘Akka  : — 

“  O  thou  who  considerest  thyself  the  greatest  of  all  men  .  .  .  ere  long 
thy  name  shall  be  forgotten  and  thou  shalt  find  thyself  in  great  loss. 
According  to  thy  opinion,  this  Quickener  of  the  world  and  its  Peace¬ 
maker  is  culpable  and  seditious.  What  crime  have  the  women,  children 
and  suffering  babes  committed  to  merit  thy  wrath,  oppression  and  hate  ? 
You  have  persecuted  a  number  of  souls  who  have  shown  no  opposition 
in  your  country,  and  who  have  instigated  no  revolution  against  the  govern¬ 
ment  ;  nay,  rather,  by  day  and  by  night  they  have  been  peacefully  engaged 
in  the  mentioning  of  God.  You  have  pillaged  their  properties,  and 
through  your  tyrannical  acts,  all  that  they  had  was  taken  from  them. 

.  .  .  Before  God,  a  handful  of  dust  is  greater  than  your  kingdom,  glory, 
sovereignty  and  dominion,  and  should  He  desire,  He  would  scatter  you 
as  the  sand  of  the  desert.  Ere  long  His  wrath  shall  overtake  thee,  revolu¬ 
tions  shall  appear  in  your  midst  and  your  countries  will  be  divided  ! 


BAHA’I  PROPHECIES 


207 

Then  you  will  weep  and  lament  and  nowhere  will  you  find  help  and  pro¬ 
tection.  ...  Be  ye  watchful,  for  the  wrath  of  God  is  prepared,  and 
ere  long  ye  shall  behold  that  which  is  written  by  the  Pen  of  Command  ” 
(see  Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  ii.  p.  3). 

And  to  ‘All  Pasha  he  wrote  : — 

“  O  Ra’ls  (chief)  Thou  hast  committed  that  which  made  Muhammad, 
the  prophet  of  God,  groan  in  the  Supreme  Paradise.  The  world  hath 
made  thee  proud,  so  much  so  that  thou  hast  turned  away  from  the  Face 
through  whose  Light  the  people  of  the  Celestial  Concourse  were  illu¬ 
mined.  Soon  thou  shalt  find  thyself  in  evident  loss.  Thou  didst  unite 
with  the  Ruler  of  Persia  for  doing  Me  harm,  although  I  had  come  to 
you  from  the  Dawning  Place  of  the  Almighty,  the  Great,  with  a  Cause 
which  refreshed  the  eyes  of  the  favoured  ones  of  God.  .  .  . 

“  Didst  thou  think  that  thou  couldst  put  out  the  fire  which  God  hath 
enkindled  in  the  Universe  ?  No  !  I  declare  by  His  True  Soul,  wert 
thou  of  those  who  understand.  More  than  that,  by  what  thou  hast 
done  its  blaze  and  flame  have  been  increased.  Soon  it  will  encompass 
the  world  and  its  inhabitants.  .  .  .  Soon  the  Land  of  Mystery  (i.e. 
Adrianople)  and  others  will  be  changed  and  will  pass  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  King,  and  commotions  shall  appear,  lamentations  shall  arise,  cor¬ 
ruption  shall  appear  in  the  districts  and  affairs  will  be  in  confusion  because 
of  what  hath  happened  to  those  captives  (Baha’u’llah  and  his  companions) 
from  the  hosts  of  oppression.  The  command  will  change  and  the  con¬ 
ditions  will  become  grievous  to  such  an  extent  that  the  sands  will  be 
moaning  on  the  desolate  hills,  the  trees  will  be  weeping  on  the  mountains, 
and  blood  shall  be  flowing  from  all  things,  and  the  people  shall  be  seen 
in  great  distress.  .  .  . 

“  Thus  hath  the  matter  been  decreed  on  the  part  of  the  Designer, 
the  Wise,  whose  Command  the  hosts  of  heaven  and  earth  could  not  with¬ 
stand,  nor  could  all  the  kings  and  rulers  withhold  Him  from  that  which 
He  willeth.  Calamities  are  the  oil  for  this  Lamp,  and  through  them 
its  Light  increaseth,  were  ye  of  those  who  know  !  All  oppositions  dis¬ 
played  by  the  oppressors  are  indeed  as  heralds  to  this  matter,  and  by  them 
the  Appearance  of  God  and  His  Cause  have  become  widely  spread  among 
the  people  of  the  world.” 

Again  in  the  Book  of  Aqdas  he  wrote  : — 

“  O  Point  which  liest  on  the  shore  of  the  two  seas  (i.e.  Constantinople)  ! 
The  throne  of  injustice  hath  been  fixed  in  thee,  and  in  thee  hath  been 
kindled  the  fire  of  hatred  in  such  wise  that  the  Supreme  Host  lament 
thereat,  and  those  who  circle  around  the  Lofty  Throne.  We  behold 
in  thee  the  foolish  ruling  over  the  wise,  and  the  darkness  exalting  itself 
over  the  Light,  and,  verily,  thou  art  in  evident  pride.  Hath  thine  out¬ 
ward  adornment  rendered  thee  proud  ?  Soon  thou  shalt  perish,  by  the 


208  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


Lord  of  Creation  !  and  thy  daughters  and  widows  and  those  peoples 
that  are  within  thee  shall  lament.  Thus  doth  the  Wise,  the  All-Knowing 
prophesy  to  thee.” 

The  successive  calamities  which  have  befallen  this  once-great 
empire  since  the  publication  of  these  warnings  have  furnished  an 
eloquent  commentary  on  their  prophetic  significance. 

America. 

In  the  Book  of  Jqdas,  written  about  fifty  years  ago,  Baha’u’llah 
appealed  to  America  as  follows  : — 

“  O  Rulers  of  America,  Presidents,  and  Governors  of  the  Republic 
therein.  .  .  .  Hear  the  call  from  the  Dawning  Place  on  High  :  There  is 
no  God  but  Me,  the  Speaker  and  the  Omniscient :  Bind  up  the  broken 
limb  with  the  hands  of  justice,  and  break  the  sound  limb  of  the  oppressor 
with  the  rod  of  the  Command  of  your  Lord,  the  Ruler,  the  Wise  !  ” 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  in  his  addresses  in  America  and  elsewhere 
frequently  expressed  the  hope,  the  prayer  and  the  assurance  that 
the  banner  of  international  peace  would  be  first  raised  in  America. 
At  Cincinatti,  Ohio,  on  November  5,  1912,  he  said  : — 

“  America  is  a  noble  nation,  a  standard  bearer  of  peace  throughout 
the  world,  shedding  her  light  to  all  regions.  Other  nations  are  not  un¬ 
trammelled  and  free  of  intrigues  like  the  United  States,  and  are  unable 
to  bring  about  Universal  Peace.  But  America,  thank  God,  is  at  peace 
with  all  the  world,  and  is  worthy  of  raising  the  flag  of  brotherhood  and 
International  Peace.  When  the  summons  to  International  Peace  is 
raised  by  America,  all  the  rest  of  the  world  will  cry  :  4  Yes,  we  accept.’ 
The  nations  of  every  clime  will  join  in  adopting  the  teachings  of 
Baha’u’llah,  revealed  over  fifty  years  ago.  In  His  Epistles  He  asked 
the  parliaments  of  the  world  to  send  their  best  and  wisest  men  to  an 
international  world-parliament  that  should  decide  all  questions  between 
the  peoples  and  establish  peace  .  .  .  then  we  shall  have  the  Parlia¬ 
ment  of  Man  of  which  the  prophets  have  dreamed.” — Star  of  the  West , 
vol.  vi.  p.  81. 

The  appeals  of  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdul-Baha  have  already  been 
responded  to,  in  large  measure,  by  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  in  no  country  of  the  world  have  the  Baha’i  teachings  met  with 
readier  acceptance.  The  role  assigned  to  America,  of  summoning 
the  nations  to  international  peace,  has  as  yet,  however,  been  only 
partially  played,  and  Baha’is  are  awaiting  with  interest  the  develop¬ 
ments  which  the  future  has  in  store. 


BAHA’I  prophecies 


209 


The  Great  War. 

Both  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  on  many  occasions  foretold 
with  surprising  accuracy  the  coming  of  the  Great  War  of 
1914-18.  At  Sacramento,  California,  on  October  26,  1912, 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  To-day  the  European  continent  is  like  an  arsenal.  It  is  a  storehouse 
of  explosives,  ready  for  just  a  spark,  and  one  spark  could  set  aflame  the 
whole  of  Europe,  particularly  at  this  time,  when  the  Balkan  question 
is  before  the  world.” 

In  many  of  his  addresses  in  America  and  Europe  he  gave 
similar  warnings.  In  another  address  in  California  in 
October  1912  he  said  : — 

“We  are  on  the  eve  of  the  Battle  of  Armageddon  referred  to  in  the 
sixteenth  chapter  of  Revelations.  The  time  is  two  years  hence,  when 
only  a  spark  will  set  aflame  the  whole  of  Europe. 

“  The  social  unrest  in  all  countries,  the  growing  religious  scepticism 
antecedent  to  the  millennium,  and  already  here,  will  set  aflame  the  whole 
of  Europe  as  is  prophesied  in  the  Book  of  Daniel  and  in  the  Book  (Reve¬ 
lation)  of  John. 

“By  1917  kingdoms  will  fall  and  cataclysms  will  rock  the  earth.” 
(Reported  by  Mrs.  Corinne  True  in  The  North  Shore  Review ,  Septem¬ 
ber  26,  1914,  Chicago,  U.S.A.) 

On  the  eve  of  the  great  conflict  he  said  : — 

“  A  general  melee  of  the  civilized  nations  is  in  sight.  A  tremendous 
conflict  is  at  hand.  The  world  is  at  the  threshold  of  a  most  tragic  struggle. 

.  .  .  Vast  armies — millions  of  men — are  being  mobilized  and  stationed 
at  their  frontiers.  They  are  being  prepared  for  the  fearful  contest.  The 
slightest  friction  will  bring  them  into  a  terrific  crash,  and  there  will  be 
a  conflagration,  the  like  of  which  is  not  recorded  in  the  past  history  of 
mankind  ”  (at  Haifa,  August  3,  1914). — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  v.  p.  163. 

Social  Troubles  After  the  War. 

Both  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  also  foretold  a  period  of 
great  social  upheaval,  conflict  and  calamity  as  an  inevitable  result 
of  the  irreligion  and  prejudices,  the  ignorance  and  superstition, 
prevalent  throughout  the  world.  The  great  international  military 
conflict  was  but  one  phase  of  this  upheaval.  In  a  talk  given 

H 


210 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


in  November  1919,  at  which  the  writer  was  present,  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  said  : — 

“  After  this  war  we  hope  that  humanity  will  become  awakened  and  will 
realize  that  there  is  no  remedy  for  the  world’s  sickness  except  the  Heavenly 
Teachings.  For  this  war  has  become  the  cause  of  hatred.  For  instance, 
the  Germans  will  not  forget,  the  Austrians  will  not  forget,  the  Bulgarians 
will  not  forget,  the  Turks  will  not  forget.  From  one  side  there  will  arise 
the  tumult  of  the  socialists,  from  another  the  storm  of  the  Bolshevists, 
from  another  the  demands  of  labour,  from  another  the  antagonisms  of 
nations,  from  another  religious  hatred,  from  another  racial  prejudice. 
It  is  clear  what  will  happen.  All  of  these  are  like  dynamite.  One  day 
they  will  explode  unless  the  Banner  of  Universal  Peace  be  raised  according 
to  the  Divine  Teachings.  But  according  to  the  Divine  Teachings  the 
Banner  of  Universal  Peace  must  be  raised  by  the  Power  of  the  Word  of 
God.  The  oneness  of  humanity  must  be  established  by  the  Power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  No  matter  how  the  politicians  strive,  their  efforts 
cannot  bring  peace.  Unaided  human  power  is  of  no  avail. 

“  Q . — Is  the  banner  of  universal  peace  going  to  be  raised  after 
this  war  ? 

“A. — Not  now.  We  cannot  abolish  war  with  war;  it  is  like  trying 
to  cleanse  a  bloodstain  with  blood.  The  nations  of  the  wrorld  are  like 
*  fighting-cocks.  They  fight,  fight,  fight,  until  they  are  exhausted.  Then 
they  stop  and  make  peace.  After  they  have  rested  awhile  they  go  at 
it  again  ! 

“  Q. — What  about  labour  troubles  throughout  the  world? 

“  A. — They  will  become  worse.  For  a  time  the  workers  may  be  pacified 
by  concessions  of  increased  wages,  shorter  hours,  etc.,  but  they  will 
presently  make  greater  demands.  Ultimately  they  will  go  so  far  as  to 
take  possession  of  factories,  etc.,  telling  the  owners  :  ‘  We  shall  give  you 
a  certain  sum  annually,  say,  one-tenth  of  the  profits  !  ’  Times  will 
become  very  difficult  and  troublesome.  There  will  be  hardships  for 
both  capital  and  labour  and  a  world  shortage  of  production/’ 

In  another  talk  a  few  days  later  he  said  : — 

“  Baha’u’llah  frequently  predicted  that  there  would  be  a  period  when 
irreligion  and  consequent  anarchy  would  prevail.  The  chaos  will  be 
due  to  too  great  liberty  among  people  who  are  not  ready  for  it,  and  in 
consequence  there  will  have  to  be  a  temporary  reversion  to  coercive 
government,  in  the  interests  of  the  people  themselves  and  in  order  to 
prevent  disorder  and  chaos. 

“  It  is  clear  that  each  nation  now  wishes  complete  self-determination 
and  freedom  of  action,  but  some  of  them  are  not  ready  for  it.  The  pre¬ 
vailing  state  of  the  world  is  one  of  irreligion,  which  is  bound  to  result 
in  anarchy  and  confusion.  I  have  always  said  that  the  peace  proposals 


BAHA’I  PROPHECIES  21 1 

following  the  great  war  were  only  a  glimmer  of  the  dawn,  and  not  the 
sunrise.” 

Coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Amid  these  troublous  times,  however,  the  Cause  of  God  will 
prosper.  The  calamities  caused  by  the  selfish  struggle  for  individual 
existence,  or  for  party  or  sectarian  or  national  gain,  will  induce 
the  people  to  turn  in  despair  to  the  remedy  offered  by  the  Word 
of  God.  The  more  calamities  abound,  the  more  will  the  people 
turn  to  the  only  true  remedy.  Baha’u’llah  says  in  his  Epistle 
to  the  Shah  : — 

“  God  hath  made  afflictions  as  a  morning  shower  to  this  green  pasture, 
and  as  a  wick  for  His  Lamp,  whereby  earth  and  heaven  are  illumined.  .  .  . 
Through  affliction  hath  His  Light  shone  and  His  Praise  been  bright  un¬ 
ceasingly  ;  this  hath  been  His  method  through  past  ages  and  bygone  times.” 

Both  Baha’u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  predict  in  the  most  confident 
terms  the  speedy  triumph  of  spirituality  over  materiality  and  the 
consequent  establishment  of  the  Most  Great  Peace.  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  wrote  in  1904  : — 

“  Know  this,  that  hardships  and  misfortunes  shall  increase  day 
by  day,  and  the  people  shall  be  distressed.  The  doors  of  joy  and 
happiness  shall  be  closed  on  all  sides.  Terrible  wars  shall  happen. 
Disappointment  and  the  frustration  of  hopes  shall  surround  the 
people  from  every  direction  until  they  are  obliged  to  turn  to  God. 
Then  the  lights  of  great  happiness  shall  enlighten  the  horizons,  so  that  the 
cry  of  ‘  Ya  Baha’il-Abha  !  *  may  arise  on  all  sides.”  (Tablet  to  L.D.B. 
quoted  in  Compilation  on  War  and  Peace ,  p.  187.) 

When  asked,  in  February  1914,  whether  any  of  the  Great 
Powers  would  become  believers,  he  replied  : — 

“  All  the  people  of  the  world  will  become  believers.  Should  you 
compare  the  beginning  of  the  Cause  with  its  position  to-day,  you  would 
see  what  a  quick  influence  the  Word  of  God  has,  and  now  the  Cause 
of  God  has  encompassed  the  world.  .  .  .  Unquestionably,  all  will 
come  under  the  shadow  of  the  Cause  of  God.” — Star  of  the  West , 
vol.  ix.  p.  31. 

He  declares  that  this  consummation  is  near  at  hand  and  will 
come  about  during  the  present  century.  In  an  address  to 
Theosophists  in  February  1913,  he  said  : — 


212 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


“  This  Century  is  the  Century  of  the  Sun  of  Truth.  This  century  is 
the  Century  of  the  establishment  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth.” 
— Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  ix.  p.  7. 

In  the  last  two  verses  of  the  Book  of  Daniel  occur  the  cryptic 
words  : — 

“  Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth  and  cometh  to  the  thousand,  three  hundred 
and  thirty-five  days.  But  go  thy  way  till  the  end  be  :  for  thou  shalt 
rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days.” 

t 

Many  have  been  the  attempts  of  learned  students  to  solve  the 
problem  of  the  significance  of  these  words.  In  a  table-talk  at 
which  the  writer  was  present,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  said  : — 

“  These  1,335  days  mean  1,335  s°lar  7ears  from  the  Hi j rat.”  (Flight 
of  Muhammad  from  Medina  to  Mecca,  marking  the  beginning  of  the 
Muhammadan  era.) 

As  the  Hijrat  occurred  in  622  a.d.,  the  date  referred 
to  is,  therefore,  1957  (i.e.  622  +  1  ? 335)  a.d.  Asked  :  “What 
shall  we  see  at  the  end  of  the  1,335  days  ?  ”  he  replied  : — 

“  Universal  Peace  will  be  firmly  established,  a  Universal  language 
promoted.  Misunderstandings  will  pass  away.  The  Baha’i  Cause 
will  be  promulgated  in  all  parts  and  the  oneness  of  mankind  established. 
It  will  be  most  glorious  !  ” 

‘Akka  and  Haifa. 

Mlrza  Ahmad  Sohrab  records  in  his  diary  the  following  prophecy 
about  ‘Akka  and  Haifa  uttered  by  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  while  seated  by 
the  window  of  one  of  the  Baha’i  Pilgrim  Homes  at  Haifa  on 
February  14,  1914  : — 

“  The  view  from  the  Pilgrim  Home  is  very  attractive,  especially  as 
it  faces  the  Blessed  Tomb  of  Baha’u’llah.  In  the  future  the  distance 
between  ‘Akka  and  Haifa  will  be  built  up,  and  the  two  cities  will  join  and 
clasp  hands,  becoming  the  two  terminal  sections  of  one  mighty  metropolis. 
As  I  look  now  over  this  scene,  I  see  so  clearly  that  it  will  become  one  of  the 
first  emporiums  of  the  world.  This  great  semi-circular  bay  will  be 
transformed  into  the  finest  harbour,  wherein  the  ships  of  all  nations  will 
seek  shelter  and  refuge.  The  great  vessels  of  all  peoples  will  come  to 
this  port,  bringing  on  their  decks  thousands  and  thousands  of  men  and 
women  from  every  part  of  the  globe.  The  mountain  and  the  plain 
will  be  dotted  with  the  most  modem  buildings  and  palaces.  Industries 


BAHA’I  PROPHECIES 


213 

will  be  established  and  various  institutions  of  philanthropic  nature  will 
be  founded.  The  flowers  of  civilization  and  culture  from  all  nations 
will  be  brought  here  to  blend  their  fragrances  together  and  blaze  the 
wap  for  the  brotherhood  of  man.  Wonderful  gardens,  orchards,  groves 
and  parks  will  be  laid  out  on  all  sides.  At  night  the  great  city  will  be 
lighted  by  electricity.  The  entire  harbour  from  ‘Akka  to  Haifa  will 
be  one  path  of  illumination.  Powerful  searchlights  will  be  placed  on 
both  sides  of  Mount  Carmel  to  guide  the  steamers.  Mount  Carmel  itself, 
from  top  to  bottom,  will  be  submerged  in  a  sea  of  lights.  A  person  stand¬ 
ing  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Carmel,  and  the  passengers  of  the  steamers 
coming  to  it,  will  look  upon  the  most  sublime  and  majestic  spectacle 
of  the  whole  world. 

“  From  every  part  of  the  mountain  the  symphony  of  ‘  Ya  Baha’il- 
Abha  !  ’  will  be  raised,  and  before  the  daybreak  soul-entrancing  music 
accompanied  by  melodious  voices  will  be  uplifted  towards  the  throne 
of  the  Almighty. 

“  Indeed,  God’s  ways  are  mysterious  and  unsearchable.  What  out¬ 
ward  relation  exists  between  Shiraz  and  'j  ihran,  Baghdad  and  Constanti¬ 
nople,  Adnanople  and  ‘Akka  and  Haifa  ?  God  worked  patiently,  step  by 
step,  through  these  various  cities,  according  to  His  own  definite  and  eternal 
plan,  so  that  the  prophecies  and  predictions  as  foretold  by  the  prophets 
might  be  fulfilled.  This  golden  thread  of  promise  concerning  the 
Messianic  Millennium  runs  through  the  Bible,  and  it  was  so  destined 
that  God  in  His  own  good  time  would  cause  its  appearance.  Not  even 
a  single  word  will  be  left  meaningless  and  unfulfilled.” 


CHAPTER  XV 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


“  I  bear  witness,  O  friends,  that  the  Bounty  is  complete,  the  Argument 
affirmed,  the  Proof  made  manifest  and  the  Evidence  established.  Let  it  now  be 
seen  what  your  endeavours  in  the  path  of  detachment  will  show  forth.  In  this 
■wise  hath  the  Divine  Favour  been  fulfilled  unto  you  and  unto  them  that  are  in 
Heaven  and  on  earth.  All  praise  to  God,  the  Lord  of  all  worlds.” — Hidden 
Words  of  Baha’u’llah. 


Progress  of  the  Movement. 

Unfortunately  it  is  impossible,  within  the  space  at  our  disposal, 
to  describe  in  detail  the  progress  of  the  Baha’i  Movement  through¬ 
out  the  world.  Many  chapters  might  be  devoted  to  this  fascinating 
subject,  and  many  thrilling  stories  related  about  the  pioneers  and 
martyrs  .of  the  Cause,  but  a  very  brief  summary  must 
suffice. 

In  Persia  the  early  believers  in  this  revelation  met  with  the 
utmost  opposition,  persecution  and  cruelty  at  the  hands  of  their 
fellow-countrymen,  but  they  faced  all  calamities  and  ordeals  with 
sublime  heroism,  firmness  and  patience.  Their  baptism  was  in 
their  own  blood,  for  many  thousands  of  them  perished  as  martyrs  ; 
while  thousands  more  were  beaten,  imprisoned,  stripped  of  their 
possessions,  driven  from  their  homes  or  otherwise  ill-treated. 
For  sixty  years  or  more  anyone  in  Persia  who  dared  to  own 
allegiance  to  the  Bab  or  Baha’u’llah  did  so  at  the  risk  of 
his  property,  his  freedom  and  even  of  his  life.  Yet  this  deter¬ 
mined  and  ferocious  opposition  could  no  more  check  the 
progress  of  the  Movement  than  a  cloud  of  dust  could  keep 
the  sun  from  rising. 


214 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


215 


F rom  one  end  of  Persia  to  the  other  Baha’is  are  now  to  be  found 
in  almost  every  city,  town  and  village,  and  even  amongst  the 
nomad  tribes.  In  some  villages  the  whole  population  is  Baha’i  and 
in  other  places  a  large  proportion  of  the  inhabitants  are  believers. 
Recruited  from  many  and  diverse  sects,  which  were  bitterly 
hostile  to  each  other,  they  now  form  a  great  fellowship  of  friends 
who  acknowledge  brotherhood,  not  only  with  each  other,  but  with 
all  men  everywhere,  who  are  working  for  the  unification  and 
upliftment  of  humanity,  for  the  removal  of  all  prejudices  and 
conflict,  and  for  the  establishment  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in 
the  world. 

What  miracle  could  be  greater  than  this  ?  Only  one, 
and  that  the  accomplishment  throughout  the  entire  world 
of  the  task  to  which  these  men  have  set  themselves.  And 
signs  are  not  lacking  that  this  greater  miracle,  too,  is  in 
progress. 

In  Turkestan,  in  America,  in  India  and  Burmah,  Baha’is 
are  already  to  be  numbered  by  the  thousand,  while  in  Germany, 
Italy,  Switzerland  and  France  Baha’i  centres  have  been  established 
and  the  range  of  their  spiritual  activities  is  rapidly  extending. 
In  some  of  these  countries  there  are  one  or  more  monthly  magazines 
devoted  to  the  Cause,  and  in  a  number  of  them  there  are  regular 
annual  congresses  attended  by  representatives  of  all  the  Baha’is  in 
the  country.  Japan  also  has  a  monthly  Baha’i  magazine  published 
in  Japanese  and  Esperanto.  In  many  other  countries  of  the  world, 
east  and  west,  believers  are  to  be  found — a  mere  sprinkling  of 
the  population  as  yet,  but  exerting  an  influence  out  of  proportion 
to  their  numbers.  The  Movement  is  showing  an  astonishing 
vitality,  and  is  spreading,  like  leaven,  through  the  lump  of  humanity, 
transforming  humanity  as  it  spreads. 

Jinab-i-Avarih  writes  : — 

“As  to  the  numbers  of  the  Baha’is  at  the  present  time,  no  exact  figures 
can  be  given,  as  the  Movement  is  growing  so  rapidly  that  day  by  day, 
nay,  even  hour  by  hour,  the  Cause  is  progressing  and  all  the  members  of 
the  Movement  are  engaged  in  spreading  its  teachings.  It  can  safely  be 
said,  however,  that  whereas  at  the  time  of  the  passing  away  of  Baha’u’llah 
his  followers  probably  numbered  less  than  one  million,  both  Eastern 
and  Western  writers  about  the  movement,  including  even  opponents  of 


2l6 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


the  Baha’i  Cause,  now  admit  that  the  number  of  Baha’is  throughout 
the  world  is  to  be  reckoned  in  millions.1 

The  only  real  test  as  to  whether  a  man  is  a  Baha’i  or  not  is 
whether  he  “  lives  the  life  ”  as  taught  by  Baha’u’llah  and  the 
“  Centre  of  the  Covenant  ”  ;  and  the  only  way  in  which  the 
real  success  of  the  Movement  can  be  gauged  is,  not  by  the  number 
of  its  professed  adherents,  but  by  the  way  in  which  its  principles 
are  permeating  and  changing  the  world.  That  the  world,  since 
the  advent  of  Baha’u’llah,  has  been  changing  incomparably  faster 
than  it  ever  did  before,  none  can  deny.  That  this  phenomenal 
progress  is  taking  place,  to  a  marvellous  extent,  along  the  lines 
laid  down  by  Baha’u’llah  more  than  half  a  century  ago,  must  also 
be  evident,  we  think,  to  every  fair-minded  reader  of  the  fore¬ 
going  chapters.  That  one  who  so  clearly  anticipated  and  so 
powerfully  advocated  these  changes  must  have  been  a  factor 
of  some  importance  in  bringing  them  about  is  surely,  therefore, 
an  entirely  reasonable  conclusion.  Readers  who  have  some 
acquaintance  with  the  phenomena  of  telepathy,  or  knowledge 
of  the  dynamic  power  of  prayer,  will  have  no  difficulty  in  conceding 
also  that  one  endowed  with  the  spiritual  power  which  Baha’u’llah 
so  abundantly  showed  could  not  fail  to  exert  a  potent  influence 
on  people  of  sympathetic  and  receptive  minds,  no  matter  in  what 
part  of  the  world  they  lived,  or  whether  they  had  ever  heard  of 
his  existence. 

Propliethood  of  Bab  and  Baha’u’llah. 

The  more  we  study  the  lives  and  teachings  of  the  Bab  and 
Baha’u’llah,  the  more  impossible  does  it  seem  to  find  any  explana- 

1  Lord  Curzon,  in  his  book,  Persia  and  the  Persian  Question ,  published  in 
1892,  the  year  of  Baha’u’llah’s  death,  writes  : — 

“  The  lowest  estimate  places  the  present  number  of  Babis  in  Persia  at  half  a 
million.  I  am  disposed  to  think,  from  conversations  with  persons  well  qualified 
to  judge,  that  the  total  is  nearer  one  million.  They  are  to  be  found  in  every 
walk  of  life,  from  the  ministers  and  nobles  of  the  Court  to  the  scavenger  or  the 
groom,  not  the  least  arena  of  their  activity  being  the  Mussulman  priesthood 
itself.  .  .  . 

“  If  Babism  continues  to  grow  at  its  present  rate  of  progression,  a  time  may 
conceivably  come  when  it  will  oust  Mohammedanism  from  the  field  in  Persia. 
This,  I  think,  it  would  be  unlikely  to  do,  did  it  appear  upon  the  ground  under 
the  flag  of  a  hostile  faith.  But  since  its  recruits  are  won  from  the  best  soldiers 
of  the  garrison  whom  it  is  attacking,  there  is  greater  reason  to  believe  that  it 
may  ultimately  prevail.”  (Vol.  i.  pp.  499-502.) 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


217 

tion  of  their  greatness,  except  that  of  Divine  Inspiration.  They 
were  reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  fanaticism  and  bigotry.  They 
had  only  the  most  elementary  education.  They  had  no  contact 
with  Western  culture.  They  had  no  political  or  financial  power 
to  back  them.  They  asked  nothing  from  men,  and  received 
little  but  injustice  and  oppression.  The  great  ones  of  earth 
ignored  or  opposed  them.  They  were  scourged  and  tortured, 
imprisoned  and  subjected  to  direst  calamities  in  the  fulfilment  of 
their  mission.  They  were  alone  against  the  world,  having  no 
help  but  that  of  God,  yet  already  their  triumph  is  manifest  and 
magnificent. 

The  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  their  ideals,  the  nobility  and 
self-sacrifice  of  their  lives,  their  dauntless  courage  and  conviction, 
their  amazing  wisdom  and  knowledge,  their  grasp  of  the  needs 
of  both  Eastern  and  Western  peoples,  the  comprehensiveness  and 
adequacy  of  their  teachings,  their  power  to  inspire  whole-hearted 
devotion  and  enthusiasm  in  their  followers,  the  penetration  and 
potency  of  their  influence,  the  progress  of  the  Movement  they 
founded — surely  these  constitute  proofs  of  prophethood  as 
convincing  as  any  which  the  history  of  religion  can  show. 

A  Glorious  Prospect. 

The  Baha’i  glad  tidings  disclose  a  vision  of  the  Bounty  of 
God  and  of  the  future  progress  of  humanity,  which  is  surely  the 
greatest  and  most  glorious  Revelation  ever  given  to  mankind, 
the  development  and  fulfilment  of  all  previous  Revelations.  Its 
purpose  is  nothing  less  than  the  regeneration  of  mankind  and  the 
creation  of  44  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth.”  It  is  the  same  task 
to  which  Christ  and  all  the  prophets  have  devoted  their  lives, 
and  between  these  great  teachers  there  is  no  rivalry.  It  is  not 
by  this  Manifestation  or  by  that,  but  by  all  together ,  that  the 
task  will  be  accomplished. 

As  4Abdu’l-Baha  says  : — 

“  It  is  not  necessary  to  lower  Abraham  to  raise  Jesus.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  lower  Jesus  to  proclaim  Baha’u’llah.  We  must  welcome  the  Truth 
of  God  wherever  we  behold  it.  The  essence  of  the  question  is  that  all 
these  great  Messengers  came  to  raise  the  Divine  Standard  of  Perfections. 
All  of  them  shine  as  orbs  in  the  same  heaven  of  the  Divine  Will.  All  of 
them  give  Light  to  the  world.” — Star  of  the  West ,  vol.  iii.  No.  8,  p.  8. 


2i 8  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


The  task  is  God’s,  and  God  calls  not  only  the  prophets  but  all 
mankind  to  be  His  co-workers  in  this  creative  process.  If  we 
refuse  His  invitation,  we  shall  not  hinder  the  work  from  going 
on,  for  what  God  wills  shall  surely  come  to  pass.  If  we  fail  to 
play  our  part  He  can  raise  up  other  instruments  to  perform  His 
purpose  ;  but  we  shall  miss  the  real  aim  and  object  of  our  own 
lives.  At-one-ment  with  God — becoming  His  lovers,  His 
servants,  the  willing  channels  and  mediums  of  His  Creative 
Power,  so  that  we  are  conscious  of  no  life  within  us  but  His 
Di  vine  and  abundant  Life — that,  according  to  the  Baha’i  teaching, 
is  the  ineffable  and  glorious  consummation  of  human  existence. 

Humanity,  however,  is  sound  at  heart,  for  it  is  made  “  in  the 
image  and  likeness  of  God,”  and  when  at  last  it  sees  the  truth, 
it  will  not  persist  in  the  paths  of  folly.  Baha’u’llah  assures  us 
that  ere  long  the  call  of  God  will  be  generally  accepted,  and 
mankind  as  a  whole  will  turn  to  righteousness  and  obedience. 
“  All  sorrow  will  then  be  turned  into  joy,  and  all  disease  into 
health,”  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  “  the 
Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ  ;  and  He  shall  reign  for 
ever  and  ever”  (Rev.  xi.  15).  Not  only  those  on  earth,  but  all 
in  the  heavens  and  on  the  earth,  shall  become  one  in  God  and 
rejoice  eternally  in  Him. 

Renewal  of  Religion. 

The  state  of  the  world  to-day  surely  affords  ample  evidence 
that,  with  rare  exceptions,  people  of  all  religions  need  to  be 
re-awakened  to  the  real  meaning  of  their  religion  ;  and  that 
re-awakening  is  an  important  part  of  the  work  of  Baha’u’llah. 
He  comes  to  make  Christians  better  Christians,  to  make  Muslims 
real  Muslims,  to  make  all  men  true  to  the  spirit  that  inspired  their 
prophets.  He  also  fulfils  the  promise  made  by  all  these  prophets, 
of  a  more  glorious  Manifestation  which  was  to  appear  in  the 
“Fulness  of  Time”  to  crown  and  consummate  their  labours. 
He  gives  a  fuller  unfolding  of  spiritual  truths  than  his  predecessors, 
and  reveals  the  Will  of  God  with  regard  to  all  the  problems  of 
individual  and  social  life  that  confront  us  in  the  world  to-day. 
He  gives  a  universal  teaching  which  affords  a  firm  foundation  on 
which  a  new  and  better  civilization  can  be  built  up,  a  teaching 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


219 

adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  world  in  the  new  era  which  is  now 
commencing. 

Need  for  New  Revelation. 

The  unification  of  the  world  of  humanity,  the  welding  together 
of  the  world’s  different  religions,  the  reconciliation  of  Religion 
and  Science,  the  establishment  of  Universal  Peace,  of  International 
Arbitration,  of  an  International  House  of  Justice,  of  an  Inter¬ 
national  Language,  the  Emancipation  of  Women,  Universal 
Education,  the  abolition  not  only  of  Chattel  Slavery,  but  of 
Industrial  Slavery,  the  Organization  of  Humanity  as  a  single 
whole,  with  due  regard  to  the  rights  and  liberties  of  each  individual 
— these  are  problems  of  gigantic  magnitude  and  stupendous 
difficulty  in  relation  to  which  Christians,  Muhammadans  and 
adherents  of  other  religions  have  held  and  still  hold  the  most 
diverse  and  often  violently  opposed  views,  but  Baha’u’llah  has 
revealed  clearly  defined  principles,  the  general  adoption  of  which 
would  obviously  make  the  world  a  paradise. 

Truth  is  for  Ail. 

Many  are  quite  ready  to  admit  that  the  Baha’i  teachings 
would  be  a  splendid  thing  for  Persia  and  for  the  East,  but  imagine 
that  for  the  nations  of  the  West  they  are  unnecessary  or  unsuitable. 
To  one  who  mentioned  such  a  view,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  replied  : — 

“  As  to  the  meaning  of  the  cause  of  Baha’u’llah,  whatever  has  to  do 
with  the  universal  good  is  divine,  and  whatever  is  divine  is  for  the  uni¬ 
versal  good.  If  it  be  true,  it  is  for  all ;  if  not,  it  is  for  no  one  ;  therefore 
a  divine  cause  of  universal  good  cannot  be  limited  to  either  the  East  or 
the  West,  for  the  radiance  of  the  Sun  of  Truth  illumines  both  the  East 
and  the  West,  and  it  makes  its  heat  felt  in  the  South  and  in  the  North — 
there  is  no  difference  between  one  Pole  and  another.  At  the  time  of 
the  Manifestation  of  Christ,  the  Romans  and  Greeks  thought  His  Cause 
was  especially  for  the  Jews.  They  thought  they  had  a  perfect  civiliza¬ 
tion  and  nothing  to  learn  from  Christ’s  teachings,  and  by  this  false  supposi¬ 
tion  many  were  deprived  of  His  Grace.  Likewise  know  that  the  principles 
of  Christianity  and  the  Commandments  of  Baha’u’llah  are  identical  and 
that  their  paths  are  the  same.  Every  day  there  is  progress ;  there 
was  a  time  when  this  divine  institution  (of  progressive  revelation)  was 
in  embryo,  then  new-born,  then  a  child,  then  an  intellectual  youth ; 


220  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 

but  to-day  it  is  resplendent  with  beauty  and  shining  with  the  greatest 
brilliancy. 

“  Happy  is  he  who  penetrates  the  mystery  and  takes  his  place  in  the 
world  of  the  illumined  ones.” 


LAST  WILL  AND  TESTAMENT  OF  ‘ABDU’L-BAHA 

The  New  Phase. 

With  the  passing  of  its  beloved  leader,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  the 
Baha’i  Movement  entered  on  a  new  phase  of  its  history.  It  had 
grown  to  such  an  extent  that  more  systematic  organization  was 
needed,  in  order  to  co-ordinate  the  activities  of  the  friends  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  and  bring  about  greater  unity  and  efficiency. 
The  plan  of  organization  had  already  been  outlined  by  Baha’u’llah, 
but  was  more  fully  described  in  the  last  Will  and  Testament  of 
‘Abdu’l-Baha.  The  three  principal  elements  in  the  plan  are  : — 

1.  “The  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God,” 

2.  “The  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God,”  and 

3.  “The  Spiritual  Assemblies,  Local,  National  and  International.” 

The  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  appointed  his  eldest  grandson,  Shoghi  Effendi, 
to  the  responsible  position  of  “  Guardian  of  the  Cause  ”  (Vallyi- 
Amru’llah).  Shoghi  Effendi  is  the  eldest  son  of  Zialyyih  Khanum, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha.  His  father,  Mlrza  Hadl, 
is  a  relative  of  the  Bab  (although  not  a  direct  descendant,  as  the 
Bab’s  only  child  died  in  infancy).  Shoghi  Effendi  was  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  was  studying  at  Balliol  College,  Oxford, 
at  the  time  of  his  grandfather’s  passing.  The  announcement  of 
his  appointment  is  made  in  ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s  Will  as  follows  : — 

“  O  my  loving  friends !  After  the  passing  away  of  this  wronged 
one,  it  is  incumbent  upon  the  Branches  and  Twigs  of  the  Sacred  Lote- 
Tree  (i.e.  the  relatives  of  the  Bab  and  Baha’u’llah),  the  Hands  of  the 
Cause  of  God  and  the  loved  ones  of  the  Abha  Beauty,  to  turn  unto  Shoghi 
Effendi — the  youthful  Branch,  branched  from  the  Two  Hallowed  and 
Sacred  Lote-Trees  (Bab  and  Baha’u’llah)  and  the  fruit  grown  from 
the  union  of  the  two  offshoots  of  the  Tree  of  Holiness,  as  He  is  the  Sign 
of  God,  the  Chosen  Branch,  the  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God,  he  unto 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


221 


whom  all  the  Branches,  the  Twigs,  the  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God  and 
His  loved  ones  must  turn.  He  is  the  expounder  of  the  Words  of  God, 
and  after  him  will  succeed  the  first-born  of  his  lineal  descendants.  .  .  . 

44  The  sacred  and  youthful  Branch,  the  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of 
God,  as  wTell  as  the  Universal  Assembly  (Baytu’l-4Adl)  to  be  universally 
elected  and  established,  are  both  under  the  care  and  protection  of  the 
Abha  Beauty,  under  the  shelter  and  unerring  guidance  of  His  Holiness 
the  Exalted  One.  May  my  life  be  offered  up  for  them  both  !  Whatso¬ 
ever  they  decide  is  of  God.  .  .  . 

44  O  ye  beloved  of  the  Lord  !  It  is  incumbent  upon  the  Guardian  of 
the  Cause  of  God  to  appoint  in  his  own  lifetime  him  that  shall  become 
his  successor,  that  differences  may  not  arise  after  his  passing.  He  that 
is  appointed  must  manifest  in  himself  detachment  from  all  worldly  things, 
must  be  the  essence  of  purity,  must  show  in  himself  the  fear  of  God, 
knowledge,  wisdom  and  learning.  Thus,  should  the  first-born  of  the 
Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God  not  manifest  in  himself  the  truth  of 
the  words,  4  The  child  is  the  secret  essence  of  its  sire/  that  is,  should 
he  not  inherit  of  the  spiritual  within  him  (the  Guardian),  and  his  glorious 
lineage  not  be  matched  with  a  goodly  character,  then  must  the  Guardian 
of  the  Cause  choose  another  Branch  to  succeed  him. 

44  The  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God  must  elect  from  their  own  number 
nine  persons  that  shall  at  all  times  be  occupied  in  the  important  services 
of  the  work  of  the  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God.  The  election  of  these 
nine  must  be  carried,  either  unanimously  or  by  majority,  from  the  company 
of  the  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God,  and  these,  whether  unanimously  or 
by  a  majority  vote,  must  give  their  assent  to  the  choice  of  the  one  whom 
the  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God  hath  chosen  as  his  successor.  This 
assent  must  be  given  in  such  wise  that  the  assenting  and  dissenting  voices 
may  not  be  distinguished  (i.e.  by  secret  ballot)/' 


“  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God/* 

During  his  own  lifetime  Baha’u’llah  appointed  four  tried  and 
trusted  friends  to  assist  in  directing  and  promoting  the  work  of 
the  Movement,  and  gave  them  the  title  of  Ayadiyi-Amru  llah 
(lit.  “  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God  ”).  Of  these,  three  have  passed 
away  and  only  one  remains.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  makes  provision  in 
his  Will  for  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  body  of  workers  to 
serve  the  Cause  and  help  the  Guardian  of  the  Cause,  who  shall 
bear  the  same  title.  He  writes  : — 

44  O  friends  !  the  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God  must  be  nominated  and 
appointed  by  the  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God.  .  .  .  The  obligation 
of  the  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God  is  to  diffuse  the  Divine  Fragrances, 


222 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


to  edify  the  souls  of  men  and  to  be,  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances, 
sanctified  and  detached  from  earthly  things.  They  must  manifest  the 
fear  of  God  by  their  conduct,  their  manners,  their  deeds  and  their 
words. 

“  This  body  of  the  Hands  of  the  Cause  of  God  is  under  the  direction 
of  the  Guardian  of  the  Cause  of  God.  He  must  continually  urge  them 
to  strive  and  endeavour  to  the  utmost  of  their  ability  to  diffuse  the  sweet 
savours  of  God,  and  to  guide  all  the  people  of  the  world,  for  it  is  the  light 
of  Divine  Guidance  that  causeth  all  the  universe  to  be  illumined.” 

Spiritual  Assemblies. 

The  local  spiritual  assemblies  of  the  Baha’i  Movement  have 
been  described  in  a  previous  chapter  and  are  already  at  work  in 
many  parts  of  the  world.  Besides  these,  however,  Baha’u’llah 
and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  have  provided  for  the  establishment  of  national 
and  international  spiritual  assemblies.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  writes 
in  his  Will  : — 

“  And  now,  concerning  the  Assembly  (Baytu’UAdl)  which  God  hath 
ordained  as  the  source  of  all  good  and  freed  from  all  error,  it  must  be 
elected  by  universal  suffrage,  that  is,  by  the  believers.  Its  members 
must  be  manifestations  of  the  fear  of  God,  and  daysprings  of  knowledge 
and  understanding,  must  be  steadfast  in  God’s  Faith,  and  the  well-wishers 
of  all  mankind.  By  this  assembly  is  meant  the  Universal  Assembly  : 
that  is,  in  each  country  a  secondary  Assembly  must  be  instituted,  and 
these  secondary  Assemblies  must  elect  the  members  of  the  Universal 
one. 

“  Unto  this  body  all  things  must  be  referred.  It  enacteth  all  ordinances 
and  regulations  that  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  explicit  Holy  Text.  By 
this  body  all  the  difficult  problems  are  to  be  resolved,  and  the  Guardian 
of  the  Cause  is  its  sacred  head  and  the  distinguished  member,  for  life, 
of  that  body.  Should  he  not  attend  in  person  its  deliberations,  he  must 
appoint  one  to  represent  him.  .  .  .  This  Assembly  enacteth  the  laws 
and  the  executive  enforceth  them.  The  legislative  body  must  reinforce 
the  executive,  the  executive  must  aid  and  assist  the  legislative  body,  so 
that,  through  the  close  union  and  harmony  of  these  two  forces,  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  fairness  and  justice  may  become  firm  and  strong,  that  all  the  regions 
of  the  world  may  become  even  as  Paradise  itself. 

“  Unto  the  Most  Holy  Book  everyone  must  turn,  and  all  that  is  not 
expressly  recorded  therein  must  be  referred  to  the  Universal  Assembly. 
That  which  this  body,  either  unanimously  or  by  a  majority,  doth  carry, 
that  is  verily  the  truth  and  the  purpose  of  God  Himself.  Whoso  doth 
deviate  therefrom  is  verily  of  them  that  love  discord,  hath  shown  forth 
malice,  and  turned  away  from  the  Lord  of  the  Covenant. 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


223 

“  It  is  incumbent  upon  the  members  (of  the  Universal  Assembly)  to 
gather  in  a  certain  place  and  deliberate  upon  all  problems  which  have 
caused  difference,  questions  that  are  obscure,  and  matters  that  are  not 
expressly  recorded  in  the  Book.  Whatsoever  they  decide  has  the  same 
effect  as  the  Text  itself.  And  inasmuch  as  this  Assembly  hath  power 
to  enact  laws  that  are  not  expressly  recorded  in  the  Book,  and  bear  upon 
daily  transactions,  so  also  it  hath  power  to  repeal  the  same.  Thus,  for 
example,  the  Assembly  enacteth  to-day  a  certain  law  and  enforceth  it, 
and  a  hundred  years  hence,  circumstances  having  changed  and  the  condi¬ 
tions  being  altered,  another  Assembly  will  then  have  power,  according  to 
the  exigencies  of  the  time,  to  alter  that  law.  This  it  can  do,  because 
that  law  formeth  no  part  of  the  Divine  Explicit  Text.  The  Assembly 
is  both  the  initiator  and  the  abrogator  of  its  own  laws.” 

Further  Extracts  from  Testament  of  ‘AbduTBaha. 

In  view  of  the  momentous  importance  of  the  Last  Will  and 
Testament  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  the  gravity  of  the  issues  it  raises  and 
the  profound  wisdom  underlying  its  provisions,  we  feel  that  it 
would  be  inadvisable,  for  the  present,  to  undertake  any  commentary 
on  its  contents.  We  give,  however,  as  a  fitting  close  to  this  out¬ 
line  of  the  Baha’i  Movement,  a  few  further  extracts,  which  vividly 
portray  the  spirit  and  leading  principles  which  animated  and  guided 
‘Abdu’l-Baha  and  are  transmitted  as  a  rich  heritage  to  his  faithful 
followers  : — 

“  O  ye  beloved  of  the  Lord  !  In  this  sacred  Dispensation,  conflict 
and  contention  are  in  nowise  permitted.  Every  aggressor  deprives 
himself  of  God’s  grace.  It  is  incumbent  upon  everyone  to  show  the 
utmost  love,  rectitude  of  conduct,  straightforwardness  and  sincere  kindli¬ 
ness  unto  all  the  peoples  and  kindreds  of  the  world,  be  they  friends  or 
strangers.  So  intense  must  be  the  spirit  of  love  and  loving-kindness 
that  the  stranger  may  find  himself  a  friend,  the  enemy  a  true  brother,  no 
difference  whatsoever  existing  between  them. 

“  For  universality  is  of  God  and  all  limitations  are  earthly.” 

“  Wherefore,  O  my  loving  friends !  Consort  with  all  the  peoples, 
kindreds  and  religions  of  the  world  with  the  utmost  truthfulness,  upright¬ 
ness,  faithfulness,  kindliness,  good-will  and  friendliness ;  that  all  the  world 
of  being  may  be  filled  with  the  holy  ecstasy  of  the  grace  of  Baha  ;  that 
ignorance,  enmity,  hate  and  rancour  may  vanish  from  the  world,  and 
the  darkness  of  estrangement  amidst  the  peoples  and  kindreds  of  the  world 
may  give  way  to  the  Light  of  Unity.  Should  other  peoples  and  nations 
be  unfaithful  to  you,  show  your  fidelity  unto  them  ;  should  they  be  unjust 


224 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


towards  you,  show  justice  towards  them  ;  should  they  keep  aloof  from 
you,  attract  them  to  yourselves ;  should  they  show  their  enmity,  be 
friendly  towards  them  ;  should  they  poison  your  lives,  sweeten  their  souls  ; 
should  they  inflict  a  wound  upon  you,  be  a  salve  to  their  sores.  Such 
are  the  attributes  of  the  sincere  !  Such  are  the  attributes  of  the  truthful !  ” 

“  O  ye  beloved  of  the  Lord  !  It  is  incumbent  upon  you  to  be  submis¬ 
sive  to  all  Monarchs  that  are  just,  and  show  your  fidelity  to  every  righteous 
King.  Serve  ye  the  Sovereigns  of  the  world  with  utmost  truthfulness  and 
loyalty.  Show  obedience  to  them  and  be  their  well-wishers.  Without 
their  leave  and  permission  do  not  meddle  with  political  affairs  ;  for 
disloyalty  to  the  just  Sovereign  is  disloyalty  to  God  Himself.  This  is 
my  counsel  and  the  commandment  of  God  unto  you.  Well  is  it  with 
them  that  act  accordingly.” 

“  Lord  !  Thou  seest  all  things  weeping  me,  and  my  kindred  rejoicing 
in  my  woes.  By  thy  glory,  O  my  God  !  even  amongst  my  enemies, 
some  have  lamented  my  troubles  and  my  distress,  and  of  the  envious  ones 
a  number  have  shed  tears  because  of  my  cares,  my  exile  and  my  afflictions. 
They  did  this  because  they  found  naught  in  me  but  affection  and  care, 
and  witnessed  naught  but  kindliness  and  mercy.  As  they  saw  me  swept 
into  the  flood  of  tribulation  and  adversity,  and  exposed  even  as  a  target 
to  the  arrows  of  fate,  their  hearts  were  moved  with  compassion,  tears  came 
to  their  eyes,  and  they  testified,  declaring  :  ‘  The  Lord  is  our  witness  ; 
naught  have  we  seen  in  him  but  faithfulness,  generosity  and  extreme 
compassion.’  The  Covenant- breakers,  foreboders  of  evil,  waxed  fiercer 
in  their  rancour,  rejoiced  as  I  fell  a  victim  to  the  most  grievous  ordeal, 
bestirred  themselves  against  me,  and  made  merry  over  the  heart-rending 
happenings  around  me.” 

“  I  call  upon  Thee,  O  Lord  my  God  !  with  my  tongue  and  with  all 
my  heart,  not  to  requite  them  for  their  cruelty  and  their  wrong  deeds, 
their  craft  and  their  mischief,  for  they  are  foolish  and  ignoble,  and  know 
not  what  they  do.  They  discern  not  good  from  evil,  neither  do  they 
distinguish  right  from  wrong,  nor  justice  from  injustice.  They  follow 
their  own  desires  and  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  the  most  imperfect  and  foolish 
amongst  them.  O  my  Lord  !  have  mercy  upon  them,  shield  them  from  all 
afflictions  in  these  troubled  times,  and  grant  that  all  trials  and  hardships 
may  be  the  lot  of  this,  Thy  servant,  that  has  fallen  into  this  darksome  pit. 
Single  me  out  for  every  woe  and  make  me  a  sacrifice  for  all  Thy  loved 
ones !  O  Lord,  Most  High  !  May  my  soul,  my  life,  my  being,  my 
spirit,  my  all,  be  offered  up  for  them  !  O  God,  my  God,  lowly,  suppliant 
and  fallen  upon  my  face,  I  beseech  Thee,  with  all  the  ardour  of  my  invoca¬ 
tion,  to  pardon  whomsoever  hath  hurt  me,  to  forgive  him  that  hath  con¬ 
spired  against  me  and  offended  me,  and  to  wash  away  the  misdeeds  of 


RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT 


225 


them  that  have  wrought  injustice  upon  me.  Vouchsafe  unto  them  Thy 
goodly  gifts ;  give  them  joy,  relieve  them  from  sorrow,  grant  them  peace 
and  prosperity  ;  give  them  Thy  bliss  and  pour  upon  them  Thy  bounty. 
Thou  art  the  Powerful,  the  Gracious,  the  Help  in  peril,  the  Self-Sub¬ 
sisting.” 

“  The  disciples  of  Christ  forgot  themselves  and  all  earthly  things, 
forsook  all  their  cares  and  belongings,  purged  themselves  of  self  and  pas¬ 
sion,  and  with  absolute  detachment  scattered  far  and  wide,  calling  the 
peoples  of  the  world  to  the  Divine  Guidance,  till  at  last  they  made  the 
world  another  world,  illumined  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  even  to  their 
last  hour  proved  self-sacrificing  in  the  pathway  of  that  Beloved  One  of 
God.  Finally  in  various  lands  they  suffered  glorious  martyrdom.  Let 
them  that  are  men  of  action  follow  in  their  footsteps.” 

“  O  God,  my  God  !  I  call  Thee,  Thy  Prophets  and  Thy  Messengers, 
Thy  Saints  and  Thy  Holy  Ones,  to  witness  that  I  have  declared  conclu¬ 
sively  Thy  proofs  unto  Thy  loved  ones,  and  set  forth  clearly  all  things  unto 
them,  that  they  may  watch  over  Thy  faith,  guard  Thy  straight  Path  and 
protect  Thy  resplendent  Law.  Thou  art  verily  the  All-Knowing,  the 
All- Wise  !  ” 


FINIS. 


\ 


•  ' 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


For  the  convenience  of  students  who  wish  to  make  a  further  study 
of  the  subject  a  list  of  books  in  English  and  French  (by  no  means  com¬ 
plete)  is  appended. 

[All  the  works  marked  *  are  obtainable  from  the  Bahai  Publishing  Society, 
508  South  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois,  U.S.A.  Many  of  them  are 
obtainable  also  from  Burnside,  Ltd.,  Beaconsheld  Terrace  Road,  W.  Ken¬ 
sington,  London  W.  14.] 


TRANSLATIONS  OF  WORKS  OF  BAHA’U’LLAH. 

* Hidden  Words ,  from  Arabic  and  Persian  originals,  with  selected  prayers 
of  Baha’u’llah  and  explanatory  notes.  102  pages. 

*The  Book  of  Ighan  (Kitabu’l-Iqan).  Contains  explanations  of  sacred 
scriptures,  shows  how  the  search  after  truth  must  be  pursued, 
and  explains  the  nature  of  the  “  Sovereignty  ”  of  the  Divine 
manifestations.  190  pages. 

* Tablets  of  Baha’oTlah.  Comprising:  Tablet  of  Tarazat,  Tablet 
of  the  World,  Words  of  Paradise,  Tablet  of  Tajaliiyat,  The  Glad 
Tidings,  Tablet  of  Ishraqat.  137  pages. 

*  Three  Tablets  of  Bahaodlak.  Comprising:  Tablet  of  the  Branch, 
Kitabu’l-‘Ahd  (The  Will  and  Testament  of  Baha’u’llah)  and  Lawh- 
i-Aqdas  (A  Message  to  Christians).  32  pages. 

*The  Seven  Valleys.  An  exposition  of  the  stages  through  which  the 
traveller  journeys  in  his  search  after  truth.  56  pages. 

Le  Livre  de  la  Certitude  (Kitabu’l-Iqan).  Trad.  Frangaise  par  Hippolyt 
Dreyfus.  Paris:  Ernest  Leroux.  1904.  212  pages. 

L’Epitre  au  Fils  du  Loup.  Trad.  Fra^aise  par  Hippolyte  Dreyfus. 
Paris:  Librairie  Honore  Champion.  1913.  185  pages. 

227 


228  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


TRANSLATIONS  OF  WRITINGS  AND  TALKS  OF 

‘ABDU’L-BAHA. 

*Some  Answered  Questions.  Compiled  by  Laura  Clifford  Barney. 
Table  Talks  of  Abdu’l-Baha  in  answer  to  questions  put  by  the  com¬ 
piler  and  others.  London  :  Kegan  Paul,  Trench,  Triibner  &  Co.1 

344  Pages- 

*  Tablets  of  A bdu'l-B aha.  Vols.  i,  ii,  iii,  Letters  of  Abdu’l-Baha  to  various 

correspondents,  chiefly  American.  Unclassified.  About  238  pages 
each  volume. 

*  Talks  by  Abdul  Baba  Given  in  Paris.  Fourth  Edition.  London : 

G.  Bell  &  Sons,  Ltd.  1920.  17 1  pages. 

*  Abdul  Baba  in  London.  Addresses  and  notes  of  conversations.  London. 

1912.  134  pages. 

* Divine  Philosophy.  Compiled  by  Isabel  Frazer  Chamberlain.  Talks 
by  Abdul  Baha  delivered  in  Europe.  184  pages. 

* Mysterious  Forces  of  Civilization.  Written  by  Abdul  Baha  in  1875, 
and  addressed  to  friends  in  Persia.  Deals  with  problems  of  civiliza¬ 
tion.  Advocates  Universal  League  of  Nations.  Translated  by 
Mirza  Johanna  Dawud.  London  :  Cope  &  Fenwick.1  1910. 
242  pages. 

Les  Legons  de  Saint-Jean  d' Acre.  By  Laura  Clifford  Barney.  French 

version  of  Some  Answered  Questions .  Paris :  Ernest  Leroux. 
1908. 

*  The  Promulgation  of  Universal  Peace .  The  first  volume  of  the  American 

Addresses  of  Abdul  Baha,  with  introduction  by  Howard  MacNutt. 
Bahai  Publishing  Society,  Chicago.  $2.50. 


BOOKS  ABOUT  THE  BAHA’I  MOVEMENT. 

*  The  Bahai  Movement:  Its  History ,  Teachings  and  Institutions.  By 

Charles  Mason  Remey.  115  pages. 

A  Traveller's  Narrative.  Written  to  illustrate  the  Episode  of  the  Bab. 
Translated  by  Prof.  E.  G.  Browne.  Cambridge  University  Press. 
1891.  425  pages. 

*  The  Bahai  Revelation.  By  Thornton  Chase.  Contains  a  compilation  of 

the  teachings  of  Baha’u’llah  classified  according  to  the  subjects, 
1 78  pages. 


1  Former  publishers. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


229 


*Tke  Bahai  Proofs.  By  Mirza  Abul  Fazl  Gulpaygan,  a  great  Oriental 
scholar,  and  disciple  of  Baha’u’llah.  Contains  short  biographical 
sketches  of  the  Bab,  Baha’u’llah,  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  and  a  convincing 
statement  of  the  arguments  for  the  truth  of  the  Baha’i  Revelation. 
288  pages. 

*The  Life  and  Teachings  of  Abbas  Effendi  (Abdu’l-Baha).  By  Myrom 
Phelps.  Embodies  a  detailed  historical  narrative  supplied  by  the 
sister  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha.  243  pages. 

*The  Universal  Religion  :  Bahaism.  By  Hippolyte  Dreyfus.  A  short 
account  of  the  rise  of  the  Baha’i  Movement  with  a  discussion  of 
its  social  import.  London:  Cope  &  Fenwick.1  1909.  175  pages. 

The  Modern  Social  Religion.  By  Horace  Holley.  London  and  Toronto  : 
Sidgwick  Sc  Jackson,  Ltd.  1913*  223  pages. 

The  Splendour  of  God.  By  Eric  Hammond.  Published  in  the  “  Wisdom 
of  the  East  ”  Series.  London  :  John  Murray.  1911.  124  pages. 

The  Oriental  Rose ,  or  The  Teachings  of  Abdul  Baha.  By  Mary  Handfora 
Ford.  Broadway  Publishing  Co.,  New  York,  1910.  213  pages. 

The  Reconciliation  of  Races  and  Religions.  By  Thos.  Kelly  Cheyne, 
D.Litt.,  D.D.  London:  Adam  Sc  Charles  Black.  1914.  214 

pages. 

God’s  Heroes.  A  Drama  in  live  Acts.  By  Laura  Clifford  Barney.  The 
central  figure  of  the  drama  is  Qurratu’l  ‘Ayn,  the  illustrious  woman 
disciple  of  the  Bab,  who  was  martyred  in  1852.  London  :  Kegan 
Paul,  Trench,  Triibner  Sc  Co.,  Ltd.  1910.  106  pages. 

Bahai ,  the  Spirit  of  the  Age.  By  Horace  Holley.  An  introduction  to 
the  Bahai  Movement  from  the  point  of  view  of  Western  science  and 
spiritual  aspirations.  New  York:  Brentano’s.  London:  Kegan 
Paul,  Trench,  Triibner  Sc  Co.,  Ltd. 

*  Lectures  of  Jenabe  Fazel.  Five  little  volumes  of  addresses  given  by 

Jenabe  Fazel  Mazandarani  in  Seattle,  U.S.A.,  in  1921. 

**The  Dream  of  God.  A  Poem.  By  Albert  Durrant  Watson.  40  pages. 

*  The  Passing  of  Abdu’ l-Baha.  By  Lady  Blomfield  and  Shoghi  Effendi. 

32  pages. 

Unity  Triumphant.  By  Elizabeth  Herrick.  An  Introduction  to  the 
Baha’i  Teachings,  and  Testimony  of  Faith  in  the  Revelation  of 
Baha’u’llah.  Illustrated.  222  pages.  London  :  Kegan  Paul, 
Trench,  Triibner  Sc  Co.,  Ltd.  1923. 

Brief  Account  of  the  Bahai  Movement.  By  G.  Palgrave  Simpson.  32 
pages.  Burnside,  Ltd.,  9  Beaconsfield  Terrace  Road,  W.  Ken¬ 
sington. 


1  Former  publishers. 


230 


BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


ACCOUNTS  OF  VISITS  TO  ‘AKKA. 

*  In  Galilee.  By  Thornton  Chase.  84  pages. 

*  Daily  Lessons  Received  at  Acca ,  January  1908.  By  Helen  S.  Goodall 

and  Ella  Goodall  Cooper  (California).  10 1  pages. 

*  Ten  Days  in  the  Light  of  Acca.  By  Mrs.  Julia  M.  Grundy.  1 1 1  pages. 
* Glimpses  of  A b dul  Baha.  By  “  Roy  ”  and  M.J.M.  16  pages. 

*  Table  Talks  with  Abdul  Baha.  By  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  T.  Winter- 

bum.  32  pages. 

*  A  Brief  Account  of  My  Visit  to  Acca.  By  Mary  L.  Lucas.  42  pages. 

*  Flowers  from  the  Rose  Garden  of  Acca.  By  Mrs.  Finch  and  Misses 

Knobloch.  40  pages. 

*  Table  Talks  Taken  in  Acca  in  1907.  By  Arthur  S.  Agnew.  24  pages. 
*An  Early  Pilgrimage.  By  Mrs.  Mary  Maxwell.  34  pages. 

*  Unity  Through  Love.  By  Howard  Macnutt.  32  pages. 


BAHA’I  PERIODICAL  PUBLICATIONS. 

Star  of  the  West.  In  English  and  Persian.  Now  in  its  14th  year.  The 
back  numbers  of  this  magazine,  which  can  be  had  bound  in  annual 
volumes,  contain  a  wealth  of  information  about  the  history  and 
teachings  of  the  Movement.  Published  twelve  times  a  year  by 
the  Publications  Committee  of  the  Bahai  Temple  Unity.  Address  : 
Bahai  News  Service,  P.O.  Box  283,  Chicago,  Ill.,  U.S.A. 

Magazine  of  the  Children  of  the  Kingdom.  Issued  Quarterly.  Editor 
and  Publisher:  Ella  M.  Robarts,  75  Revere  Street,  Boston, 
Mass.,  U.S.A. 

Bahai  News.  In  English  and  Persian.  Edited  and  Published  every 
month  in  the  interest  of  the  Bahai  Movement  from  India,  by  Prof. 
Pritam  Singh,  M.A.,  Murree  Road,  Rawalpindi. 

Sonne  der  Wahrheit.  Organ  of  the  German  Bahai  Bund.  Published 
monthly.  Verlag  des  Deutschen  Bahai-Bundes,  Stuttgart,  Holder- 
linstrasse  35. 

Kkursfild-ikhavar  (*‘  Sun  of  the  East”),  published  monthly  in  Persian 
at  Ishqabad,  Turkistan. 

Star  of  the  East.  In  Japanese  and  Esperanto.  Published  monthly  at 
Tokyo,  Japan. 


INDEX 


‘Abbas  Effendi,  see  ‘Abdu’l-Baha 
‘Abbas. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha  ‘Abbas  :  birth  and 
childhood,  53  5  youth,  54  ;  mar¬ 
riage,  55  ;  as  centre  of  Covenant, 
57  ;  imprisonment,  55,  57  $ 

characteristics,  58  ;  Western  tours, 

60  ;  return  to  Holy  Land,  61  ; 
during  war-time,  63  ;  knight¬ 
hood,  64  ;  last  years,  64  ;  passing, 
65  ;  funeral,  66  5  writings  and 
addresses,  66  ;  station,  67  ;  as 
exemplar,  69  ;  prophecies  re¬ 
garding,  189  ;  prophecies  by,  203. 

‘Abdu’l-^amld,  imprisonment  of,  60. 

Acca,  Acre,  see  ‘Akka. 

Acquiescence,  radiant,  in  Divine 
Will,  75. 

Adam  and  Eve,  story  of,  179. 

Afflictions,  value  of,  39,  88,  89, 
207,  2x1  ;  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  224. 

After-death  states,  163,  179. 

Agnosticism,  true,  174. 

‘Akka,  imprisonment  of  Baha’is  in, 
39  ;  prophecy  regarding,  212. 

Alcohol  as  beverage  forbidden,  94,  203. 

‘All  Pasha,  letter  to,  207. 

America,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s  visit  to, 

61  5  prophecies  regarding,  208  ; 
and  international  peace,  208. 

Angels,  200. 

Appointment  and  promotion,  125. 

Arbitration,  international,  147,  203. 

Armageddon,  battle  of,  209. 

Armaments,  limitation  of,  148,  203. 

Arts  and  crafts,  importance  of,  77, 
136. 

Asceticism  forbidden,  75,  95. 


Assemblies,  spiritual  ;  local,  157  ; 
national,  222  ;  international,  118 
222. 

At-one-ment  with  God,  218. 

Authority,  religious,  no. 

Bab  :  birth  and  early  life,  21  ; 
declaration,  22  ;  claims,  24  ; 
rejection  by  Shfahs,  24  ;  mar¬ 
tyrdom,  25  ;  tomb,  26  ;  writings, 
27  ;  teachings,  28,  29  ;  triumph, 
29. 

Babhood,  meaning  of,  23. 

Babls  ;  persecution,  25  ;  majority 
become  Baha’is,  37  ;  remainder 
exiled  to  Cyprus,  37. 

Backbiting  forbidden,  79,  80. 

Badl‘,  martyrdom  of,  38. 

Baghdad,  Baha’u’llah  in,  33. 

Baha’i  ?  What  is  a,  70,  82. 

Baha’u’llah  :  birth  and  early  life,  31  ; 
imprisoned  as  Babl,  32,  33  ; 

exile  to  Baghdad,  33  ;  two  years 
in  wilderness,  34  ;  opposition  of 
Mullas,  35  ;  declaration  at  Rid- 
van,  36  ;  at  Constantinople  and 
Adrianople,  37  5  at  ‘Akka,  39  ; 
prison  -  gates  opened,  40  ;  at 
Mazra‘ih,  41  ;  at  Bahjr,  43  ; 
passing,  44  ;  prophethood,  45, 
203,  216  ;  mission,  15  ;  tomb, 
27  ;  prophecies  by,  202. 

Bahji,  Baha’u’llah  at,  43. 

Bayan  (Revelation  of  Bab),  28,  50. 

Baytu’l-‘Adl,  national,  222  ;  inter¬ 
national,  1 18,  222. 

Bequest  and  inheritance,  130. 


231 


232  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


Bible,  quotations  from,  17,  18,  71, 
72,  76,  175,  183,  186,  187,  189, 
190,  191,  192,  194,  195,  196, 
197,  199,  200,  202,  212. 

Birth-pangs  of  new  era,  12. 

Blessed  Beauty,  Blessed  Perfection 
(titles  of  Baha’u’llah),  41,  42,  57. 

Body  :  incapable  of  immortality,  93  ; 
resurrection  of,  24,  28;  193  ;  and 
soul,  93,  179. 

Boole,  quotation  from,  170. 

Branch,  Greatest,  56,  117,  189  ;  Man 
called  the,  189. 

Browne,  Prof.  E.  G.,  43,  50. 

Bruno,  Giordano,  burned  as  heretic, 
171- 

Calamities,  due  to  disobedience,  88  ; 
deliverance  from,  88. 

Calendar,  Baha’i,  25,  155. 

Capital  and  Labour,  129,  130. 

Captain  of  Salvation,  76. 

Carlyle,  quotations  from,  11,  13. 

Carmel,  Baha’u’llah  on,  43  5  prophecy 
regarding,  212. 

Celestial  concourse,  16 1,  167. 

Celibacy  of  clergy,  153. 

Centre  of  the  Covenant,  56,  189. 

Century,  eighteenth  compared  with 
nineteenth,  13  ;  eighteenth,  Car¬ 
lyle  on,  13  ;  of  establishment  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  212. 

Changing  world,  12. 

Character-training,  136. 

Chastity  and  health,  96. 

Christ  :  prophecies  concerning,  15, 
185  ;  return  of,  68,  193,  195  ; 
disciples  of,  225. 

Christians  in  Persia,  21. 

Civilization,  true,  12 1  ;  religion  the 
basis  of,  1 2 1 . 

Cleanliness,  importance  of,  95,  96. 

Clouds,  Son  of  Man  coming  in,  199. 

Columbus  ridiculed  by  contem¬ 
poraries,  172. 

Coming  of  the  Lord,  184. 

Commissions  of  investigation,  Tur¬ 
kish,  59. 

Confession  of  sins,  81. 

Conflict,  v.  concord,  139  ;  forbidden, 
109,  125  ;  due  to  error,  197. 

Consultation,  necessity  for,  125. 


Contagion  of  health,  99. 

Conversation  with  God,  83. 

Co-partnership  of  employers  and 
employed,  130. 

Courtesy  enjoined,  78. 

Covenant,  Baha’i,  117  ;  Centre  of, 
56,  189. 

Crafts,  importance  of,  77,  136. 

Creation,  176  ;  Biblical  account  of, 
177- 

Creeds  and  dogmas,  outworn,  173. 

Criminals,  treatment  of,  136. 

Crusades  and  “  Holy  Wars,”  141. 

Curzon,  Lord,  quotation  from,  216 
(footnote). 

Cycle,  new,  109  ;  World-,  the 
present,  19 1,  193. 

Cyprus,  Babls  sent  to,  37. 

Darwin  as  heretic,  171. 

Day  of  the  Lord,  Day  of  God,  12, 
49,  188. 

Dead,  raising  of,  24,  192. 

Death-pangs  of  old  era,  12. 

Declaration  of  Bab,  22  j  of  Baha’¬ 
u’llah,  36,  49. 

Democracy,  123  ;  Democratic  gov¬ 
ernment,  122. 

Descent  of  man,  178. 

Despotic  government,  122,  123. 

Devotion  to  God,  71  ;  devotional 
attitude,  84. 

Dispensations,  prophetic,  188. 

Divinity  of  manifestations,  46. 

Divorce,  155. 

Dogmas,  outworn,  173. 

East  and  West,  unity  of,  151. 

Economic  problems,  126. 

Edinburgh,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  in,  61. 

Education  :  Baha’i  views  on,  134  ; 
should  be  universal,  135  ;  organiza¬ 
tion  of,  157. 

Educational  methods,  reliance  on, 
125,  131,  134.  . 

Educator  of  mankind,  12. 

Elias,  return  of,  194. 

Emancipation  of  women,  13 1. 

Emotions,  and  mental  states,  effect 
on  health,  99. 

End,  time  of  the,  195  ;  “  End  of 
the  world,”  190. 


INDEX 


233 


Enemies,  Abdu’l-Baha’s  prayer  for 
his,  224  ;  treatment  of,  79,  223. 

England,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  in,  61. 

Enjoyments,  teachings  regarding,  94. 

Equality,  economic,  a  chimera,  126  ; 
of  men  and  women,  131,  203. 

Era,  new,  109  ;  birth-pangs  of,  12  ; 
old,  death-pangs  of,  12. 

Esperanto,  61,  145,  172. 

Evil,  non-existence  of,  168  ;  Myers 
on,  180. 

Evolution  and  creation,  177,  178. 

Exemplar,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  as,  69  ; 
manifestation  as,  73. 

Expenditure,  public,  127. 

Fast,  Baha’i,  159  ;  fasting,  value  of, 
160. 

Fault-finding  forbidden,  79. 

Feasts,  Baha’i,  157,  158. 

Finance,  public,  127  ;  Baha’i,  157. 

Freedom,  dangers  of,  124,  210. 

Funds,  Baha’i,  collection  and  admin¬ 
istration  of,  157. 

Galileo  as  heretic,  171. 

Galvani,  opposition  to,  172. 

Gambling,  forbidden,  95. 

Germany,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  in,  61; 
prophecy  regarding,  205. 

Glad  tidings,  Baha’i,  11. 

Glory  of  God,  31,  187. 

Golden  age  foretold,  104. 

Government,  Baha’i  views  on,  123. 

Graves,  opening  of,  at  Resurrection, 
24,  193. 

Greatest  event  in  history,  ir. 

Guardian  of  the  cause  of  God,  220 

Haifa,  war-time  at,  63  ;  British 
occupation  of,  64  ;  prophecy 
regarding,  212. 

Hands  of  the  cause  of  God,  221. 

Harvey,  opposition  to,  172. 

Healer,  spiritual,  qualifications  of,  102. 

Healing,  art  of,  97  ;  by  material 
means,  97  5  by  non-material 
means,  99  ;  mental,  99  ;  spiritual, 
100,  102  $  how  all  can  help  in,  103. 

Health,  and  healing,  93  ;  spiritual, 
conducive  to  physical,  10 1  $  right 
use  of,  104. 


Heaven,  teachings  regarding,  28,  164. 
Hell,  teachings  regarding,  28,  164. 
He  whom  God  shall  make  manifest,  28. 
Hidden  words,  writing  of,  36. 
Holley,  Horace,  quotation  from,  57. 
Holy  Spirit,  healing  power  of,  100. 
Honesty  enjoined,  81. 

Hospitality,  158,  159. 

Human  nature,  possibility  of  chang¬ 
ing,  108. 

Humility,  of  Baha’u’llah,  47  ;  en¬ 
joined,  80. 

Huxley,  quotations  from,  170,  174. 
Hygienic  commands,  94—6. 

Idleness  and  indolence  forbidden,  128. 
Imams,  Imam  Mihdl,  24. 
Imprisonment,  of  Bab,  24  ;  of 
Baha’u’llah,  33,  39  ;  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha,  55,  57,  59. 

Infallibity,  of  prophets,  113. 
Inheritance  and  bequest,  130. 

Innate  differences  of  nature,  135. 
Instincts,  natural,  98. 

Interest  on  money,  legitimacy  of,  129. 
Interpretation  of  Baha’i  teachings, 
1 18  ;  of  prophecies,  183. 
Intoxicants,  prohibition  of,  94,  203, 

Jabir,  quotation  of,  25. 

Jews,  in  Persia,  21  ;  return  of,  to 
Palestine,  190,  195. 
Jinab-i-Avarih,  6,  22  (footnote),  55. 
Judgment,  Day  of,  15,  190,  200. 
Justice,  122,  124. 

Kindliness  enjoined,  223. 

King  of  Kings,  Baha’u’llah  as,  42. 
Kingdom  of  God,  coming  of,  21 1. 
Kings,  Baha’u’llah’s  letters  to,  38  j 
loyalty  to  just,  224. 

Kingship,  advantages  of,  123. 
Knighthood  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  64. 
Knowledge,  of  Baha’u’llah,  35,  50  ; 
importance  of,  136  ;  of  God,  73, 

l7S‘ 

Krishna,  12. 

Labour  troubles  after  Great  War,  210. 
Land,  ownership  of,  143,  144. 
Language,  of  spirit,  83  ;  Universal, 
need  for,  144,  203. 


234  BAHA’U’LLAH  AND  THE  NEW  ERA 


Languages  used  by  Baha’u’llah,  50  ; 
by  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  67. 

Latter-day  teacher,  prophecies  re¬ 
garding,  17.. 

League  of  Nations,  Universal,  146, 
151,  203- 

Letters  of  the  Living,  23. 

Life  after  death,  163,  179. 

London,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  in,  61. 

Lord  of  Hosts,  186. 

Lotteries  forbidden,  95. 

Love  of  God,  29,  73. 

Loyalty  to  just  Governments,  125,224. 

Magdalene,  Mary,  10 1,  132. 

Mahdi.  See  Mihdl. 

Manifestation  of  God,  as  exemplar, 
73  ;  as  light-bringer,  14,  188  ; 
the  Supreme,  114  ;  after  1,000 
years,  118. 

Manifestations,  Divine,  175. 

Marriage,  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  55  ; 
Baha’i  teachings  on,  154. 

Martyrdom,  of  Bab,  25  ;  of  Babls 
and  Baha’is,  25,  171,  214  ;  of 
Badl‘,  38  ;  longing  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha  for,  54,  60  ;  of  Esperantists, 
172. 

Marshiqu’l-Adhkar,  16 1. 

Mazra‘ih,  Baha’u’llah  at,  41. 

Mecca,  declaration  of  Bab  at,  23. 

Mediator,  necessity  for,  85  ;  prophet 
as,  184  ;  Jesus  as,  184. 

Medical  treatment,  use  of,  98. 

Meetings,  Baha’i,  160. 

Mental  healing,  99. 

Message  of  Baha’u’llah,  107. 

Messiah,  prophecies  regarding,  15, 
185. 

Mihdl,  24. 

Mind-healing,  99. 

Mission,  of  Bab,  28  ;  of  Baha’u’llah, 
48. 

Monarchy,  constitutional,  recom¬ 
mended,  123. 

Monastic  life,  forbidden,  153  ; 
Muhammad  on,  154. 

Moses,  his  test  of  prophethood,  17  $ 
Mosaic  legislation,  112. 

Muhammad,  on  prayer,  83  ;  on 
monastic  life,  154.  See  also 
Qur’an. 


Muhammadan  sects,  20  (footnote),  21. 

Mullas,  opposition  of,  35. 

Munlrih  Khanum,  wife  of  ‘Abdu’l- 
Baha,  56. 

Myers,  F.  W.  H.,  quotation  from,  179. 

“  Mystery  of  God,”  54. 

Napoleon  III,  prophecy  regarding, 
204;  letter  to,  153. 

Narcotics,  prohibition  of,  94. 

Nawruz,  Feast  of,  158,  159. 

New  phase  of  Baha’i  Movement,  220. 

Nobility,  hereditary,  123. 

Non-existence  of  evil,  168. 

Non-resistance  to  violence,  51,  137, 
149,  223  ;  Christ’s  teaching  on, 
I37* 

Nuqtiyi-ula  (Primal  Point),  24. 

Obedience  to  prophets,  75  ;  effects  of, 
96. 

Oneness,  of  all  life,  93  ;  of  mankind, 
142  ;  of  the  two  worlds,  165. 

Order,  law  of,  in  social  organization, 
126. 

Organization  of  Baha’i  Movement, 
118,  119,  157,  220. 

Orthodoxy  versus  progress,  171. 

Palestine,  coming  of  Baha’u’llah  to, 
39,  188  ;  as  national  home  for 
Jews,  190. 

Paradise,  teaching  regarding,  28,  164. 

Patriotism,  and  world -patriotism,  142. 

Peace  :  International,  208,  210  $ 

Most  Great,  49,  140,  21 1  ;  way 
to,  139  ;  religion  the  basis  of,  139. 

Persecution,  of  Babls,  25,  171  ;  of 
prophets,  of  Baha’is,  171. 

Persia,  ancient,  20  ;  in  eighteenth 
and  nineteenth  centuries,  20  j 
prophecy  regarding,  205. 

Physician,  prophet  as,  97  ;  pro¬ 
fessional,  98  ;  God,  the  great,  113. 

Point,  Primal,  24. 

Poverty,  abolition  of,  126-30. 

Prayer  :  83  ;  indispensable  and 

obligatory,  86  ;  the  language  of 
love,  87  ;  congregational,  87  ; 
for  deliverance,  88  ;  and  natural 
law,  89  ;  answers  to,  89,  90  ; 
for  health,  10 1—3  5  for  dead,  167  ; 


INDEX 


235 


examples  of  Baha’i,  90-2  ;  inter¬ 
cessory,  165,  167. 

Prejudices,  religious,  no,  140  ;  racial 
and  patriotic,  142  ;  must  be 
abandoned,  174. 

Press,  influence  of,  138. 

Priesthood,  absence  of  professional, 
1 19. 

Profit-sharing  recommended,  130. 

Progress  of  Baha’i  Movement,  214  ; 
prophecy  regarding,  21 1. 

Promised  One,  n,  24,  49. 

Promises,  fulfilment  of  prophetic, 
114,  115,  218. 

Promotion  by  merit,  125. 

Prophecies,  fulfilled  by  Baha’i 
Movement,  183,  186  ;  of  Baha’¬ 
u’llah  and  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  202  ; 
about  Christ,  15,  185  ;  interpre¬ 
tation  of,  17,  183. 

Prophet,  importance  of,  12  ;  as 
light- bringer,  14  ;  as  physician,  97. 

Prophets,  opposition  to,  170,  171  5 
harmony  between,  170,  217,  218. 

Prophethood,  proofs  of,  17,  18,  202  ; 
of  B&b,  29,  216  ;  of  Baha’u’llah, 
45>  2°3j  216. 

Prospect,  glorious,  for  humanity,  217 

Psychic  faculties,  166  ;  psychical 
research,  179. 

Qurratu’l-‘Ayn,  132,  228. 

Qur’an,  quotations  from,  45,  106, 
154,  196,  197,  199. 

Racial  prejudice,  142. 

Reconciliation  of  religion  and  science, 
172  et  seq. 

Religion,  renewal  of,  218. 

Religion-founders,  importance  of,  12. 

Religious  prejudices,  140  ;  religious 
wars,  141. 

Representative  government,  122,  123  ; 
representative  assemblies,  Baha’i, 
118,  157,  222. 

Resurrection,  28  ;  the  Great,  192  ; 
Day  of,  14  ;  of  body,  24,  28,  193. 

Return,  of  Christ,  68,  193  ;  of  Elias, 
194  ;  of  prophets,  194. 

Revelation,  birthplace  of  new,  20  ; 
need  for  new,  219  ;  progressive, 
hi  ;  Baha’i,  fulness  of,  116. 


Reverence  enjoined,  78. 

Riches,  limitation  of,  126  ;  ethics 
of,  128. 

Ricjvan,  Baha’u’llah’s  declaration  at 
36  ;  feast  of,  37  ;  Garden  of,  near 
‘Akka,  43. 

Rulers  and  subjects,  125. 

Schism,  prevention  of,  118. 

Science,  importance  of,  77,  98,  136  j 
and  religion,  107,  170,  18 1. 

Script,  need  for  a  universal,  144. 

Search  after  truth,  18,  19,  72,  173. 

Second  Coming  of  Christ,  68,  193, 
195,  198. 

Sectarianism,  in  Persia,  21  ;  in  nine¬ 
teenth  century,  106  ;  cure  for, 
no  ;  prevention  of,  in  Baha’i 
Movement,  118. 

Self-government,  local,  national  and 
international,  124. 

Service,  life  of,  76. 

Servitude,  of  Divine  Manifestations,. 
45  ;  of  Baha’u’llah,  47  ;  of 
‘Abdu’l-Baha,  68. 

Severance  from  all  save  God,  75. 

Sexes,  equality  of,  131,  203. 

Shah,  attempted  assassination  of,  32  ; 
letter  to,  38. 

Sharing,  voluntary,  of  wealth,  127, 
130. 

Shaykhls,  23. 

Shl‘ahs,  23,  24,  37. 

Shoghi  Effendi,  6,  220. 

Signs  of  end  of  age,  196. 

Simple  life  advocated,  94. 

Sin-covering  eye,  79. 

Sir  ‘Abdu’l-Baha  ‘Abbas,  K.B.E.,  64. 

Slavery,  chattel  and  industrial,  for¬ 
bidden,  129,  203. 

Social  unrest  after  Great  War,  209. 

Spencer,  Herbert,  70,  174. 

Spirit,  the  Baha’i,  51  ;  communion, 
166. 

Spiritual  healing,  100  ;  spiritual 
assemblies,  118,  157,  222. 

Spread  of  Baha’i  Movement,  21 1,  214^ 

Spring-time,  spiritual,  14. 

Stephenson  and  steam  engine,  172. 

Strikes,  avoidance  of,  13c. 

Subfc-i-Azal,  34,  37,  57. 

Suffrage,  women’s,  133. 


236  BAHA’U’LLAH  and  the  new  era 


Sufferings,  vicarious,  88,  89. 
Suggestion,  healing  by,  99. 

Sun  of  Righteousness,  12,  14,  188, 
197- 

Survival  of  fittest,  139,  142. 

Sultan  of  Turkey,  imprisonment  of, 
60  ;  letter  to,  206. 

Tabriz,  martyrdom  of  Bab  at,  26. 
Taxation,  methods  of,  127. 
Teaching,  importance  of,  77,  134. 
Telepathy,  179,  216. 

Tennyson,  quotations  from,  162 
(footnote),  174. 

Territorial  ambitions,  143. 

Tests  of  prophethood,  Christ’s,  18  ; 
Moses’,  17. 

Tihran,  31,  53  ;  prophecy  regarding, 
206. 

Tolerance  enjoined,  109,  no. 

Tomb,  of  Bab,  26,  57  $  of  Baha’- 
u’-llah,  27. 

Traditions,  Muhammadan,  25,  116. 
Translations,  imperfection  of,  19. 
Tribunal,  international,  148,  208. 
Trust  in  God,  healing  value  of, 
100. 

Truth,  search  after,  18,  19,  72,  173  ; 

is  for  all,  219. 

Truthfulness  enjoined,  81. 

Turkey,  prophecies  regarding,  206. 
Turkish  committee  of  investigation, 

59- 

Tyranny  forbidden,  125. 

Unity,  of  mankind,  48,  180  j  religious, 
106  et  seq.  ;  of  religion  and  science, 
18 1  ;  meetings  as  means  to,  160  ; 
of  East  and  West,  151  5  era  of, 

181. 


Veiling  of  women,  153. 

Venereal  diseases,  prevention  of,  96. 

Vicarious  suffering,  88,  89. 

Victoria,  Queen,  letter  to,  in,  146. 

Vineyard,  Christ’s  parable  of,  49,  19 1. 

Violence,  methods  of,  to  be  avoided, 

.I25’  I33: 

Visions,  reality  of,  166. 

War :  religious,  14 1  ;  racial  and 
national,  142  ;  territorial,  143  $ 
righteous,  150  ;  defensive,  150  ; 
prophecies  regarding  the  Great, 
209. 

Wealth,  ethics  of,  128. 

West  and  East,  unity  of,  151. 

Will  and  testament,  of  Baha’u’llah, 
44  ;  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  220  $  duty 
of  making,  130. 

Women,  emancipation  of,  29,  13 1  ; 
and  the  New  Age,  133. 

Word,  creative  power  of  God’s,  202  ; 
of  prophet,  202  ;  of  Baha’u’llah, 
efficacy  of,  203. 

Work,  for  all,  128  ;  as  worship,  77, 
128. 

World-unity,  obstacles  in  way  of, 
1 15,  180. 

World-parliament,  208. 

Writing,  a  universal  form  needed,  144. 

Writings,  of  Bab,  27  $  of  Baha’u’llah, 
47,  49  ;  of  ‘Abdu’l-Baha,  66. 

Yahya,  Mlrza,  33,  37. 

Young  Turks,  60. 

Zamenhof,  founder  of  Esperanto, 
144,  145,  172. 

Zoroaster,  12,  20,  48. 

Zoroastrians,  21. 


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